Pawn
by dracos-beautygirl
Summary: "Do you know what you are, Hermione? You are a pawn. Easily used for the benefit of my plans. And if I have to use you until you break, then I will. Because, you see, that's the trouble with pawns. Everything about you can easily be sacrificed."
1. Chapter 1

_They stumbled back against the wall in an almost panicked state, as if both were afraid the other would vanish in a moment. Her arms wrapped about his neck as the kiss went from gently moving to desperately fierce. He had her firmly by the back of her thighs, gripping so tightly that she cried but refused to break away. There was too much to lose by doing so. He pressed against her, needing to feel her in a way that inflamed his skin and boiled his blood. All he could think of was having her. He needed to have her right now._

_He pulled her up into his arms, forcing her to wrap her legs around his waist as he felt around blindly for the way to the bedroom. But her skin was so warm and his patience too thin. He set her up on the little end table in the hallway, yanking up the sides of her dress. She pulled away, gasping and groaning as his hands moved over the soft pink skin of her inner thighs. He captured her lips again, refusing to let either of them breathe. He needed her. He could not be restrained one more second and unzipped his pants, not even bothering to drop them as he pulled her into him._

_Her cries filled the empty house and pierced his heart, but he did not relent. Her grip on him tightened as her back hit the wall, the little table barely supporting their actions. He gripped a door that rested against the wall, her screams of exhilaration fueling his conquest._

_Not content with this one moment, he stayed his rampant desires enough to carry her to the bedroom. There, they laid into each other again. But this time he heard pain in her gasps. He gripped her face, looking into her eyes._

_"If I'm hurting you-"_

_She shoved his hands away, kissing him so fiercely that he almost forgot he was worried. "I want this," she whispered. "Nothing you do could ever hurt me."_

_They continued well into the wee hours of the morning then lay in each other's arms. Two lovers, husband and wife, sharing unbounded intimacy until dawn. Then he would disappear underground and she would return to the cold bed of another._

* * *

><p>"Claire, please!" Hermione hurried once more as the little girl again made for the cabinets. "Mummy cannot reiterate enough how much you must stay away from there!"<p>

"But Lilith says-"

"Lilith is not your mummy." She smoothed out the pale gold curls that bounced about the round face of the upset toddler. "Do not pout. Your face will stay that way."

"Will not!"

"Do not argue with me. If I say it's so, then it's so. Now, stay away from the cabinets or I will glue you two the corner."

Great full lips pushed out further and the beautiful round eyes of her daughter glared up at Hermione with all the fury a four year old could muster. Hermione smiled stood up straight.

"Fine, I warned you." She pulled out her wand, but Claire dashed to the little tea table on the opposite side of the room before any incantation could be spoken. Hermione pocketed the wand, watching as the girl pretended to pour tea for several stuffed animals. It was midday, so rays of sunlight filtered into the multicolored bedroom, revealing the many sides of the toddler. Beside the tea table sat multiple broken brooms from the little girl's early attempts at flight. The room was strewn with various dresses, shorts, bandanas, boots, and some waders for when she decided to invade the creek in the forest behind the estate. Quaffals and dirt were mixed in with dolls and glitter, making the whole room look a bit bipolar. But Hermione loved it.

"Hermione."

She turned to the door. A tall, stern woman of middle age stood there, the pinched look on her face telling Hermione she was in some sort of trouble.

"Mr. Craven wishes to speak to you."

Her fingers went cold and she stole a look at Claire. "Why?"

Lilith's eyebrow rose as she entered the room, setting a purse on the vanity. "I shouldn't care why. But he wants to see you, so you should go."

"Did he say-"

"HERMIONE!"

She flinched at the bellowing voice that originated from somewhere downstairs. Claire looked up from pouring tea, an unnaturally dark look on her face.

"He sounds mad."

Hermione hurried out. To tarry would be unwise. The mansion was a brightly lit place, beautifully decorated with expensive furniture and important portraits with links all over the world. The corridor outside Claire's room had some tapestries whose occupants were very friendly, waving and playing all the time for the purpose of keeping Claire entertained. A great tapestry hung on the wall directly before the elegantly curved double staircases, depicting the master of the house's long and noble family tree which traced back to his ancestor Rowena Ravenclaw and beyond. Down the stairs she flew, hurrying into an expansive library that would have given her such pleasure at any other time but now. The whole room had a single focus point, the desk made of an ancient wood and the man who sat at it.

"Come here, Hermione," came his smoothly cold voice. She glanced nervously behind her before approaching. He set down his quill and turned a pair of sharp molten black eyes on her. "Explain."

"I don't know-"

He threw a paper across the desk and she took it, quickly scanning its contents while paling considerably.

"This is a mistake."

"Really? I can hardly see how."

"Craven, I didn't go to any of these place."

"The reports from the charm I placed on you say otherwise."

She was ashen as she placed the paper on the desk, barely pulling enough nerve to look at him when he stood. He was a grand, impressive creature, with decisively attractive features and a long trim build that had been well preserved from his Quidditch days. His tastes were fine as his robes were of the purest, most expensive quality but they were tasteful, like everything else he owned. But his face, for all its striking greatness, was impassively cruel when it came to Hermione. He moved slowly and deliberately around the table, hands clasped behind his back as he regarded her as a lion regards a gazelle.

"What do you say to such a mistake?"

"I don't know-"

Her own scream cut her off as he snatched by the collar, pulling her straight up to his face.

"I warned you about those people," he whispered. "I warned you what I would do."

She struggled furiously, managing even to glare despite the fear she felt. Lip curling in derision, he dropped her and returned to his chair.

"Claire will be removed to the country."

"No!" Hermione rushed to his side, grabbing his arm as her expression became much less hostile and much more worried. "Please, you can't!"

"You will learn that there are rules and that there are punishments for breaking such rules," he said, brushing her away. "Edward."

A tall brute of a man lumbered in, two smaller but just as cruel men following after. "Yes, sire," said the taller of the bunch.

"Take my love here to her room. If she argues, you may do what you will with her. But do not leave a mark. There is a dinner tonight and I must have her able to walk."

Edward grinned stupidly and nodded, taking hold of Hermione's arm. She thought about spitting in his face, but decided it was pointless in light of Craven's words. They passed into the foyer just as Claire appeared at the top of the stairs.

"Mummy," she called, gripping one of the rail posts with her tiny hands. When Hermione looked up, she frowned, seeing her mother's distress. "Mummy, what's wrong?"

Hermione turned away, tears welling in her eyes. "It's okay, Claire," she called over her shoulder. "Just be a good girl, okay?"

"Mummy!"

"You gonna be a good girl?" Edward inquired, his putrid hot breath flowing over the back of Hermione's neck while his fingers fondled the back of her skirt. She ignored the urge to vomit, knowing that would only make the man behind her hornier than he already was. Claire's sudden cry of dismay caused her to pause and turn.

"Please, don't hurt her," she whispered, heart burning in her chest as every muscle willed her to sprint to her daughter's side. "Please."

* * *

><p>Harry darted between the crowds of people, nimbly avoiding contact with everyone as he made his way towards the platform. It was a particularly busy time of the day, so everyone was trying to catch a train or find whomever it was they were trying to pick up. Harry was almost tempted to draw his wand and curse everyone in his path, but that would defeat the purpose of why he was at the station in the first place.<p>

He got the correct platform and spotted a familiar redhead lurking by a pillar. "Don't glare at them like that," he said and Ron turned to him. "They'll call security."

"It took me thirty bloody minutes to get here, do you know that?" Ron snapped as they continued down the platform to a train that was getting ready to take off. "Thirty minutes. I would have left if you weren't coming."

"No, you wouldn't have. But I understand the sentiment. Come on, this is the one."

The indicated car was empty so they sat in some seats towards the middle. A trolley came by and Ron purchased some pumpkin pasties before the train pulled off. The two men exchanged conversation over some new cases they had at the Ministry to pass their time alone, as nobody entered. It was not until they passed Grantham that someone passed into the car. Ron scowled.

"Took you long enough."

Draco glared back. "When one is a publicly loathed figure and being hunted by two governments, it takes one a while to get anywhere, Weasley."

"You should have planned ahead. We were here on time."

"You were late, Ron," Harry muttered, pulling a package from his pocket and sliding it over to the blond. "There's three hundred quid in there, so don't lose it."

Draco rolled his eyes. "Yes, I can afford to lose my monthly allowance. You two are so generous."

"You're lucky you get anything this time!" Ron's face flushed as an unwelcome memory surfaced. "You nearly had me sacked!"

"It worked out well enough," Draco muttered, counting the money before pocketing it. "I suppose you're not here to dig up old wounds, though."

"Ministry is leaning on us pretty hard to pick Sloan up."

"I already told you, he's untouchable. Too well protected."

"You let us worry about that. Just tell us where he is."

Draco leaned back in his seat, smirking. "Not for three hundred quid."

Ron puffed and his eyes narrowed. "You listen here, Malfoy. We already talked about this. No more negotiations."

Harry nodded. "Ron's right. No more money. You give us the information or we get off the train."

"Or throw you off, whichever," Ron grumbled, folding his arms over his chest. Draco's smirk fell off.

"How do you expect me-"

"We don't have anything else," Harry snapped. "They cut our funding. Either we get Sloan or we're off the case."

Draco shook his head but leaned back in, conjuring up some parchment and a quill. "Here. But there's quite a bit of magic about the place. Not very friendly, Sloan. Doesn't like people."

"And you two don't get along?"

Gray eyes rested on Ron and his irritable disposition. "He manages to be on an ever growing list."

Harry took the parchment, reading the address quickly before burning the paper. "Thanks, Malfoy. We'll get in touch if everything goes well."

"And I'll read about it in the Quibbler if it doesn't."

The meeting was officially over, but nobody got up. There seemed to be some unspoken question lingering about and Draco's constant gaze did not make it easy for Harry or Ron. They exchanged looks before Ron rolled his eyes.

"Ask Harry. I've been on holiday for the last two weeks."

Harry shifted before shrugging. "Fine, I suppose. Both of them. Look, Malfoy, it's not a good idea-"

"For what?" he snapped, standing abruptly. "For me to see them?" He tossed the packet of money back at them. "I'll be seeing you gentleman later."

Harry and Ron watched as the worn and angry Malfoy walk away, pulling a dark cloak over him as he went. Ron shook his head.

"You shouldn't have said anything."

"Why? It's his business to know."

"No, it's not. You know how he gets. He'll go on a bender and then be completely useless for the rest of the month."

Harry scowled. "I didn't see you offering any suggestions."

Ron shrugged, reclining his chair. "I should be on holiday with my wife. Instead, I'm here with you and Malfoy. What makes you think I have any suggestions worth mentioning?"


	2. Chapter 2

**_Five and a half years ago:_**

_"Does this feel wrong?"_

_She giggled and pushed his hand away. "You know it does. Keep your hands to yourself."_

_He rolled his eyes, moving away from her to get some cups out of the cabinet. "Pumpkin juice?"_

_"Just water."_

_She watched him as he filled the cups, smiling when he flicked water at her. "Will you stop acting like a child?"_

_"Only if you act like a grown up."_

_"You mean, only if I have sex with you, right?"_

_"I thought they were synonymous."_

_"Well, they're not." She took a sip of water before gesturing to the box on the table. "Are you going to tell me-"_

_"No."_

_"Why?"_

_"Because then you'll tell Potter and Weasley. Can't have that."_

_"You're already talking to them."_

_"That box is none of their business."_

_"And me?"_

_"You're none of their business, either."_

_She pursed her lips, setting the cup down. "Harry and Ron know I'm here, so-"_

_"It's still none of their bloody business, so let it go," he hissed, eyes flashing dangerously. "I told you, I don't want to spend time talking about that."_

_"What do you want to talk about?"_

_He shrugged, fingers running along her bare arm. "How is work?"_

_"Boring. Next?"_

_"Family?"_

_"Fine. Next?"_

_He cast her a disparaging look. "You're not helping."_

_"You're evading."_

_"For good reason."_

_"I can handle it."_

_"I don't care. We're not talking about it and that's the end of it. God, you get annoying when you're nosy, do you know that?"_

_"I've been told."_

_"It's going to get you in trouble."_

_She rolled her eyes and grabbed her purse. "I'm leaving."_

_"Granger-"_

_"We obviously have nothing to talk about, so this was a giant waste of time. You just want to have sex."_

_"And you just want to talk. I think we can compromise."_

_"What, have sex and talk?"_

_"I was thinking just sex, but yours works, too."_

_"I'm not having sex with you."_

_"Then we have nothing to talk about."_

_"Goodbye, Malfoy."_

_He grabbed her arm before she reached the door. She could not help a smile when he pressed his lips to her cheek._

_"Tell Lovegood and Weasley that I send my love. The female one. I get enough of the other one."_

_She glanced up at his face. "I'll do that." Her expression became worried and she touched his chest. "Be safe."_

_"Always."_

_She nodded and left._

* * *

><p>Hermione stared out the window, trepidation clear in her eyes. Craven fixed his cuffs, a tiny smirk on his face.<p>

"You didn't like that?"

"I would rather have been elsewhere."

"Come now, Hermione. You enjoy these little outings, even though you won't ever admit it. Tell me, what is it that's bothering you?"

"You know what's bothering me."

He snorted. "Well, there's nothing we can do about that. You screwed up, so you deal with the consequences."

"Claire-"

"Claire, Claire." He rolled his eyes. "That little brat had a look on her face that pissed me off. Do you know the look I'm talking about? The one where she looks like her father. I hate that look. I told Lilith to work on slapping that look off the little bitch."

Hermione looked at him sharply, eyes wide with horror. "You did not!"

"I told you before. She keeps looking at me like that, I'll do something about it. How am I supposed to introduce the runt as my daughter if she looks like that?"

"She's four!"

"She's old enough to know better. And don't look at me with those eyes. God, I swear I'll get Edward to ride the both of you if you don't stop."

She dropped her gaze to her lap quickly, but her body still shook with anger. "Craven, please-"

"I am done talking about it. We're here. Get that look off your face, we're about to have pictures taken."

She was ready to shred through him, but the limo stopped and the window had passed. The doors opened and Craven stepped out, offering his hand to Hermione. Again, her heart wanted to shear it right off. Her horrible cowardice won over and she took his hand, flashing a smile at the Muggle paparazzi that swarmed outside the benefit gala the couple was attending.

"This way, Craven! Look over here!"

"Oh, Hermione! Stunning dress! Take the picture!"

She wanted to die a slow painful death as they made their way down the red carpet, waving and smiling at photographers. Several reporters stopped Craven while the entertainment journalists bombarded Hermione. They posed for photos, Craven holding Hermione close. He had a smirk that made the women grin stupidly and a hand that held tightly to Hermione's bare back. The low cut dress had not been her idea, but then again, nothing these days ever was.

The night went as expected. Craven was congratulated on his success in the technological field while Hermione was continually asked about her new design line. Alcohol was plentiful and she watched with unease how much Craven downed. She loved Muggles but God help them, they were idiots when it came to Craven Aldridge. Even magical types didn't know.

When they returned to the estate, Hermione went straight to her room to undress and shower. As she stood under the water, she could hear Craven enter and judging by the soap and towels he knocked over, he was pretty drunk. She whispered a spell to lock the door to the shower, something she had learned very quickly upon arriving at the estate. But the shower did not seem to be Craven's interest because he never banged on the door. She finished up the shower to find him sitting in front of her vanity mirror, swirling a glass of firewhiskey around as he gazed at his reflection.

"It's so strange that I can attract every woman in the world with just a look save you," he said as she gathered her nightclothes on the counter.

"Those women don't know what's under that look," she muttered, combing out her wet hair. "I'm sure if they knew, I'd have more on my side."

"Don't get smart with men," he snapped, pushing himself to his feet. "I don't understand it, though. I'm a god amongst women, yet you treat me like _I'm_ the one who did something wrong."

"Shall I list your offences chronologically or alphabetically?"

"I'm sure my only offense alphabetically lies around the 'r' section." His arms wrapped around her waist, pulling her back into him. "And that's just because you like to be difficult."

That cold numbness started to seep through her body as his lips brushed against the curve of her neck and shoulder. "It would be so pleasant if you joined in."

"It would be so pleasant if you burst into flames, but that's just silly thinking, hm?"

She gasped when he shoved her against the counter, hand on the back of her neck. He pushed forward, forcing her to bend over while his fingers played with the towel she was wrapped in.

"But sometimes the other way is fun, too," he growled as she tried to push him away. "You scream more."

"Get off me!"

"Oh, that's fun." He pushed the towel up. "Say it again."

* * *

><p>"I think this is a bad idea."<p>

"Ron, we've only been here five minutes."

"Yeah, and it's a bad idea. Look at that bloke! He's twice our size!"

"Yeah, and twice as drunk. There he goes…Ron, what are you so nervous about?"

"I'm not nervous. I would I be nervous about this."

"I don't know…something else bothering you?"

Ron shrugged, shifting his weight to his other leg as he leaned against the wall. "Have you spoken to Hermione lately?"

Harry's expression got worried. "No, but I saw the Daily Prophet."

"Yeah. I did, too."

They were quiet for a while, keeping their gazes on the pub across the street. It was very busy, with large groups coming and going in pleasant moods.

"So, you haven't spoken to her?"

"What is it that's bothering you, Ron?"

"I don't know…it's just, this Craven fellow, that's all. You ever met him?"

"A couple times. He's…interesting."

"Interesting?"

"He's pretty engaging. Knows how to get your attention and keep it."

"Seems like the type. Making rounds with the Ministry, I heard."

"He's got his hands in a lot. Muggle business, magical business. He keeps busy."

"How'd he seem to you?"

"I told you, he was-"

"Interesting, yeah. But…I mean, you know, Harry."

Harry glanced at his redheaded friend. "Something's weird, but I couldn't tell you what it was. She seems happy, though, so I don't pry."

"Yeah, she seems happy."

They exchanged looks. "You don't believe it?"

Ron shifted positions again. "I just said she seems happy. I haven't seen her since I left for my vacation."

"She's been pretty busy with this muggle stuff."

"What's up with that?" Ron shook his head. "I never thought…but, whatever. Her life, right?"

"You spoken to Malfoy?"

Ron snorted derisively. "Man's fallen off the wagon again. Went by one of the check points. I…well, you've seen him."

Harry rolled his eyes. "This whole situation is awkward."

"Agreed."

"We should stop talking about it."

"Agreed. Look, here he comes."

Ron and Harry straightened up as a short snarly sort of man came up to the front of the pub, two taller, snarlier men flanking him. He said something to a woman standing outside the door, which she replied by slapping him and stalking away. Ron rolled his eyes.

"Why are all these men giant pricks?"

"Money, I suppose. Come on, let's get him before he harasses the entire female population."

Harry and Ron did not have to get very close before the little man noticed them. His eyes widened and he took off down the street, which the two wizards found unreasonable and a little thoughtless considering he had two perfectly good guards. Harry followed him on foot while Ron retreated into an empty street to apparate. The man slipped into a back alley and Harry pulled his wand. When he turned the corner, he heard a familiar click of a gun and flicked his wand.

"What is it with muggles and guns?" he snapped, snatching the man by the collar. "That's going to get you into trouble."

The man's eyes widened even more. "W-wizards?" he gasped. "Oh God, I'm dead!"

Ron appeared beside him. "You've got that right, mate."

The man tried to pull a knife, only to get two wands shoved against his throat. "I really don't think he understands, Harry," Ron said with a grin. "Shall we make him understand?"

Harry nodded, pulling a rock out of his pocket. "I think we should. Mr. Sloan, if you'd come with us."

"Nah, I'd rather not."

"Well, you've got no choice. Put your hand here."

"No, no, um, I don't think this is a good idea-"

The tug at the navel told Sloan his appeal had gone unnoticed and he found himself unceremoniously dumped down in some office area. Several people were watching him curiously as Harry and Ron hauled him to his feet.

"Welcome to the Ministry of Magic, Sloan."

Sloan's naturally upset face turned sourer. "Bugger."


	3. Chapter 3

_Hermione hurried down the stairs, Harry and Ron right behind her. Ron was yelling something, but she ignored him as she rushed through the corridor. The object of their urgency was leaning against the wall, barely able to stand but quite able to speak._

_"Weasley, you're late as usual."_

_Hermione reached Draco's side just as he slid to the floor, his legs too weak to support him now. "What happened?" she demanded, but he seemed more intent on Ron than answering her questions._

_"I told you a thousand times, Weasley," he snapped. "I told you, but you-hey!"_

_She had poked him in the side. "Your ribs are broken."_

_"Of course they're broken! Weasley-"_

_"Yeah, yeah, I should have been here." The redhead pulled out his wand but Draco shook his head._

_"If you think I'm going to let you levitate me, then you must be mad!"_

_"You're barely able to stand!"_

_"Whose fault is that?"_

_Harry rolled his eyes. "You realize that they're just going to come back, right? Standing here arguing about this is going to get us nowhere."_

_"Let's move him to the empty flat upstairs," Hermione muttered, slipping her arm around the blonde's waist. "Do you think you can make it?"_

_Draco snorted and, putting an arm over her shoulders and grabbing the wall, he pulled himself up. Ron shook his head._

_"You shouldn't have gone without me."_

_"If I waited for you, then I would never get anywhere."_

_"Yeah, but at least you'd be in one piece. Look at your bloody ankle."_

_The echoes of voices silenced any retort Draco had and the four hurried back upstairs to the predetermined flat. Once the door was locked and some spells had been cast to keep out eavesdroppers, Hermione took a better look at Draco._

_"Why can't you do one thing someone tells you?" she whispered, pulling her wand out to start healing some of his wounds. He had been cursed pretty badly, his skin splotched red, black, and blue from various bruises and cuts. Several of his ribs, his clavicle, and sternum were broken as well as most of the bones in a foot that pointed in an inappropriate angle. "Look at you, Draco!"_

_"How is this suddenly my fault?"_

_"You were supposed to lie low until Ron came and got you," Harry pointed out. "And by lie low, we did not mean hex the first Ministry official that knocked on the damn door."_

_"There were two-"_

_"Shut up, Malfoy," Ron snarled. "God, you're a pain in the arse. Some of us have better things to do than be here at a moment's notice."_

_"I happen to know that your fiancé is in Berlin and the female Weasley is with Lovegood at work. Where do any of you have to be?"_

_Harry and Ron exchanged irritated looks before turning to Hermione, who blushed. "I didn't tell him," she muttered, but she gave Draco a good jab in the side anyway. Ron sighed, glancing out the window._

_"Now we're going to have to move you. Again."_

_"I didn't ask for your help."_

_"No, but since Hermione's gotten all simple for you, we don't have much of a choice."_

_Hermione glared at Ron. "I have not gotten simple, Ron."_

_"You're snogging Malfoy. How simple can you get?"_

_"What I'm doing with him is none of your business."_

_Harry shuddered and turned away. "Don't need that image."_

_Hermione's eyes widened upon realizing what she had said. "That's not what I-"_

_"Don't care," Ron muttered, going to the door. "Are you done fixing him? Ministry blokes are coming and it's not going to look good if we're caught with him. We were supposed to be in London right now, not in Leeds playing 'Hide the Malfoy.' We could lose our jobs for this, do you realize this?"_

_"You always complain yet you're still here. What does that say about you, Weasley?"_

_"That I'm madder than Hermione."_

_Draco got to his feet, testing his leg with a smile. "You're getting better," he said quietly to her. She blushed in appreciation._

_"Thank you. I'm practicing. But you need to listen to Ron. Stay out of trouble."_

_"Where are you going?"_

_She smiled and kissed his cheek before heading to the door. "I'll see you all later. Lay low, Draco."_

* * *

><p>"How does it feel, love?"<p>

She bit down hard on the pillow, squeezing her eyes closed as she tried not to think at all.

"Come now! Don't be that way." He yanked her head back as far as it would go without snapping her neck, laughing at her pain-filled gasp. "That's better. Now, tell me if it hurts, okay? I wouldn't want to continue if it's hurting too much."

She could barely breathe in that position, but Craven would not release her nor would he stop with his assault. All she could do was pray he would get tired before she blacked out. If she blacked out, there was no telling who would be atop her when she came to.

"You know, I've been thinking. You deserve a day off." He ground down into her so hard that she screamed, grabbing his wrists in a futile attempt to disengage him.

"Stop!" she gasped.

"No, no, listen. You've been very accommodating. Made everything very easy for me." He was done and she almost felt relief when he got to his knees and turned her over onto her back. "A couple days in the country with Claire? How does that sound?"

"What do you want?"

He smiled as a snake would to a mouse. "I want to believe it this time."

She trembled but forced herself up to her knees, shakily taking his face in her hands. "Craven-"

"What? I couldn't hear you."

"Craven, I need you," she gasped, her stomach turning. "Please-"

"You don't really want a few days with your daughter, do you?"

She shoved him onto his back, straddling him in the process. "You don't want to hear anything, do you?"

He put his arms behind his head, eyebrow raised. "You had better make it worthwhile."

Her heartache twisted her face into a believable smile as the rest of her numbed up. "Just relax."

After a while, Craven did lose interest and, after a shower, he went to bed. Hermione took a shower so hot that her skin burned, but she didn't care. She needed everything he did off her. Everything she did to go away. But as hard as the water hurt, the all too familiar spectacle burned worse. And no matter how she tried to convince herself she did it for her daughter, there was a part of her, a little, hateful, treacherous part of her that had enjoyed it. Enjoyed all of it.

* * *

><p>"Do you know why you're here?"<p>

"Stupid wizard bastards."

"Harry, I don't think he's quite understood his situation."

"I think you're right, Ron."

"You can't do this to me. I have rights."

"Where? I don't see them. Do you, Harry?"

"Gosh, Ron, no! Sloan, we're both blind as bats. You're going to have to tell your rights to speak up. We can't see them."

"You bastards, you can't hold me! You've got nothing on me!"

"Do you really think we would pick you up if we didn't have anything on you? He's not too bright, is he?"

"Nope. Not bright at all. Well, I guess this is show and tell time, hm?"

"Oh, really? Sloan, you're going to like this. Harry's got all these great photos he's been dying to show you. Go ahead, Harry."

"Are you sure? I would have thought you would want to show them."

"No, go ahead. You're much better at it."

"Thanks, Ron. That means a lot."

"Are you two on each other?"

Ron rolled his eyes. "People always think that. Why do they think that?"

"Is it our conversation? I don't think we sound gay or anything, do you?"

"I don't think so, but people keep mentioning it. You think I should ask the wife?"

"Maybe later. I've got the photos."

Harry set several photographs in front of Sloan, who paled with every one. "Ah, see. Look at his face, Ron."

"Well, that's completely opposite of what we were hoping for. We thought you'd be happy to see your handiwork. This is awkward."

"Quite."

Sloan shook his head, looking between Harry and Ron. "You…you can't do anything to me! These have nothing to do with magical people like you!"

Ron slapped his forehead with his palm. "You're absolutely right! He's absolutely right, Harry. These are all Muggle crimes, hm?"

"You're right, Ron. Wow, this is even more awkward than before. I can't believe we miscalculated this so much. I suppose that means we'll have to release him."

"I suppose. But where?"

Harry's eyes brightened. "Oh, you know what? It's so convenient that Williams from the Muggle department mentioned that some inspectors from Scotland Yard were looking for Sloan."

"Really? Wow, that is convenient. I suppose we could just hand him over to them. I'm sure they have a reasonable reason for looking for a fine, upstanding man such as him. Can't have anything to do with these photos. You know what, I think that's what we should do."

"NO!"

Harry and Ron turned to their sweating, frightened guest. "Excuse me?" Harry inquired. "I wasn't really aware we were talking to you."

"Or that you had a say in any of this," Ron added. "We really should take him there now, Harry. The earlier they talk to him, the quicker they can clear this whole mess up. I'm sure they just want to talk to him."

"You can't! You can't take me to them!" Sloan shook his head. "No, I won't go."

"Then you'll talk to us," Harry snapped as the two wizards lost all pretense of ease. "And it had better be something we want to hear or we'll lend you to Scotland Yard."

"What do you want?"

Ron tossed a folder over to Sloan. "You're a deplorable human being, but you're an even worse excuse of a Muggle. You've got your pocket in every avenue of misadventure that happens in the backstreets of London. That means you know about the chatter going on between both sides."

Sloan looked through the folder before shaking his head. "You two are mad."

"So you know about it, hm?"

The little man's lip curled in derision. "Even if I did know, do you know how dead I am if I tell you?"

"Couldn't care less about that," Harry muttered, leaning forward. "Tell us what you know."

"Not without some assurances. You don't know what you're getting into and I don't want this coming back to bite me in the arse."

Harry and Ron glanced at each other before nodding. "Fine. We'll protect you. But I want to hear what it is you've got first."

Sloan sighed. "Bloody hell," he grumbled as he ran his hand nervously through his hair. "Yeah, there's some chatter. People keep talking about how things are getting meshed. You know, the Muggles and the magic folk. Somebody's making moves on both ends."

"Who?"

"I don't know! Someone big. Powerful, too. Got people in the underground scared. Say crimes getting centralized."

"Like gangs?"

"Like a syndicate." Sloan shook his head. "I can't tell you no more."

"That's not enough."

"What the hell do you want to know?"

"What's the plan?"

"I don't know, screw the world? How can I know? I just know, its not just here in England. A few days ago, some Frenchies moved in. And not just low level guys, either. They were running with big money and big toys. Magical toys in a Muggle club."

"Why aren't we hearing about this?"

Sloan paled and nodded. "Told you it was someone big, didn't I? Now, where's my protection?"


	4. Chapter 4

**Just to clear up some things: The first portion that is in italics is set at five and a half years ago moving forward. Anything not in italics is present day. I'll let you know if there's a significant time jump. Sorry for any confusion!**

* * *

><p>I<em>t was late when she got home. She put the Daily Prophet and her purse up on the counter with a sigh, rubbing her arm ruefully.<em>

_"Ginny, I'm going to curse you later," she muttered._

_"I take it you had a nice trip, then?"_

_She smiled, turning to see a familiar tuft of platinum blond hair sticking out from the couch. Leaning over the back, she laughed._

_"What are you wearing?"_

_He had his eyes closed and arms behind his head. "I'm trying a new look."_

_"A bellhop?"_

_"It was the only way I could get up here."_

_"You look ridiculous."_

_"I could take it off."_

_"I think it looks excellent on you."_

_Smiling, he pulled her over the back of the couch so that she was lying on top of him. She slipped down to lie beside him, draping an arm over his chest while tucking her head up against his._

_"I missed you," he said after a while of them remaining like this._

_"I missed you, too. It was so great to get out of the country, but…it was hard being away."_

_"But you had a good time, hm?"_

_"I'm sure you know we did. Luna sent so many letters, I'm sure any owl sent to Austria was really upset."_

_He chuckled, shaking his head. "I don't understand that little spectacle."_

_"They're cute."_

_"They're strange. Have you ever actually seen them together?"_

_"For Luna, they're surprisingly private. I think they only see each other on the weekends and at some neutral location."_

_"Sounds like us."_

_"Yeah, except Blaise isn't a fugitive."_

_"Yeah, there's that."_

_She looked up at him. They had never spoken much about his status with the Ministry of Magic or what he had done to put him on such terms with Britain's magical government. All she really knew was that it had been bad enough to force him into hiding. He did not seem to want to burden her with the reason and had strong-armed Harry and Ron into keeping quiet on the matter as well._

_"Are you ever going to tell me?"_

_He finally opened an eye to peer down at her. "What?"_

_"What you did. Are you ever going to tell me? I think I deserve to know, seeing as you're in my flat and all, and I'm your girlfriend."_

_"You hardly act it, what with spending all your time away from me and not putting out and…well, actually it's really only that last one."_

_She rolled her eyes, returning to her original position. "Never mind."_

_His hand ran up and down her side for a while before resting on her shoulder. "I didn't kill anyone."_

_"I never…what?"_

_He took a deep breath. "I didn't kill anyone. That's not what this is about."_

_She had never assumed he had, or Ron and Harry would have let her know. Not that she was any less anxious._

_"Then what is it about?"_

_"It's complicated."_

_"Draco-"_

_"I don't want to talk about it."_

_She sat up, glaring at him. "Then you can get out of the flat."_

_"Granger-"_

_She scrambled over him, dragging him to his feet. "Get out, Draco."_

_"Because I won't tell you what happened? It's been six months!"_

_"Exactly. Six months of you lying to me-"_

_"I never lied."_

_"Omission is about as good as a lie. Get out!"_

_She pushed him towards the door, but he stopped her before they got too far. "Hermione, stop being difficult. I'm not leaving."_

_Throwing up her hands, she stalked towards her bedroom. "Fine, whatever. But don't talk to me."_

_He caught her hand, smiling. "What is this really about? Did something happen in Austria?"_

_She shrugged him off, but did not move away. "No…I just think you need to be honest with me about what's going on, Draco. I hate that I'm the only person who doesn't know."_

_He pulled her into him, pressing his lips against her forehead. "I'm sorry," he whispered. "But I need to protect you. And you not knowing gives you deniability if something happens."_

_"What's going to happen?"_

_Meeting her worried gaze, he sighed and started towards the door. "I'll see you."_

_"Draco!"_

_He paused and she sighed. "Please be safe."_

_Smiling wanly, he gave her a little nod and then left._

* * *

><p><strong>Present Day:<strong>

Stockholm Syndrome.

Hermione shivered a little and closed the book. The last thing she needed was for something like this to start happening, but it explained the odd feelings she had had the other day with Craven. Not odd. Downright disturbing.

She put the book away and then left the study, going out onto the terrace where Claire was having tea with her stuffed animals and quidditch broom. Lilith was at a table a few feet away, pretending to read a newspaper. Not that Hermione minded. Her daughter was the only thing that mattered right now.

"How are you feeling?" she asked the little girl. Claire shrugged one shoulder, passing out little cakes to each of her guests.

"My arm still hurts."

Hermione pursed her lips, glancing over at Lilith. She pulled the sleeve back on Claire's shirt to inspect the angry welt.

"I'm sorry, honey," she said. "I'll see about getting some potions for it, okay?"

Claire looked up at her mother briefly before pouring tea. "Did he hurt you, too?"

Hermione had to look away, closing her eyes as tears came. The one thing Craven had made sure to do was ensure that Claire was aware that her mother hurt just as much as she did if the girl did not do as she was told. Claire was not privy to what exactly happened, but she was old enough to notice bruises.

"Mummy?"

She turned back, forcing a smile. "I'm fine, love."

Claire did not look convinced, but she left it alone and focused on her tea party. Hermione looked around herself with a sigh. The country estate was just as sprawling as the one closer to the city, complete with a stadium style Quidditch pitch that often hosted local matches. Today it was cool and cloudy, casting a crisp gray glow over the grounds. Ideal for play, at least it would be if there was anyone to play with.

Craven was a cruel man. Though he touted Claire as his daughter to the world, he treated her like the unwanted stepchild, forbidding her from having friends and keeping Lilith on call so that any schooling would be done at home. She was isolated at its worst, with only her toys, mother, and Lilith for company, though Lilith was little company at all. Lilith was intolerant of play, demanded perfection, and administered punishment at the slightest whiff of dissention in the little girl.

Thus sat Claire at the little table on the terrace, asking inanimate objects if they wanted one or two sugars.

A house elf, Bowie, appeared, bowing. "A Mrs. Weasley, a Miss Weasley, and a Miss Lovegood to see you."

Hermione looked to Lilith. The woman rolled her eyes, but left the terrace. Smiling, Hermione turned back to the house elf. "Let them in, Bowie."

He bowed again and disappeared. Claire smiled as well. "Aunties come to see me!"

Ginny came first, followed by Luna and Adrianna, Ron's wife. The three women embraced Claire tightly in turn before turning to Hermione.

"What are you doing all the way in the country?" Adrianna inquired, sitting down beside Hermione. "I thought we were going to meet-"

"I know, but something came up." Hermione laughed. "Why are you all here?"

"Wanted to see Claire, obviously," Ginny said. "How are you doing?"

"Do you want to play brooms with me?" Claire asked, pulling on Ginny's sleeve. "Auntie Adry, you play, too! Come on, come on!"

Hermione smiled as Ginny and Adrianna were dragged off. "Claire, don't pull so hard! You're going to dislocate…that girl never listens."

Luna picked up a teacup from in front of an elephant and took a sip. "Needs more sugar," she said after a minute of silence. Hermione turned to Luna.

"How are you?"

"I was going to ask you the same thing. You seem…like you did a lot to get here."

Hermione looked down at her hands. "As much as I needed."

Luna nodded, gaze turning to the grounds. It had been unavoidable that she would be the one to know the truth surrounding Hermione's current situation, given her relationship with Blaise Zabini. This had been particularly important in the early stages, as Hermione had had no one else to turn to then. Luna's ability to listen without question or response had made unburdening herself easier for Hermione and they had grown quite close over the years.

"How is Blaise?"

Luna smiled. "Put out. He has to go before the Wizengemot to defend his new spells. I told him not to create too many, but he never listens."

"And the children?"

"Sephanora turns three next week and she's quite aware of it. She's asked her father for something Grandfather used to have in the paper. Blaise says she should be asking to change her name."

Hermione hid a smile, as Luna looked incredibly serious in saying all of this. "Well, I'm sure you'll find a happy medium."

"I think Blaise will have to let this name business go." Luna set down the teacup, a frown coming to her face. "Ginny is going to ask you to come over for dinner."

Hermione's smile slid away. "Why?"

"She and Harry have something to tell everyone. Probably that they're finally getting married. Anyway, they want us to come over to his flat for dinner. I'm sure you will get an invitation and Aldridge will be a part of it."

Hermione sighed, looking over to where three people were zipping about on brooms. "I'm sure he'll want to. He likes Ron and Harry."

"Are you sure?"

"I want to see Ron and Harry, too. It's been a while."

* * *

><p>Harry shook his head, looking about the street. "This is the fifth pub-"<p>

"Now who's being impatient?" Ron gestured down the street. "Look, there's one."

"We cannot go into every pub in England-"

"We'll have to. We actually do have to talk to him this time."

"He's probably drunk off his arse. He'll barely be intelligible."

"We'll sober him up before talking to him. Come on, Harry. We don't have all day. I have an early morning tomorrow and then there's this dinner, too." He sent Harry a sideways look. "You actually doing it this time?"

Harry flushed. "What are you on about?"

"My sister. That's what the dinner is about, isn't it? You two are getting married?"

"Why is it that everyone thinks-"

"Because that's what it is."

Blushing furiously, Harry picked up his pace. "I don't have time for this, Ron."

"About bloody time. Thought you were going to drag your feet for forever. So did Mum and Dad."

"I wasn't dragging my feet. I was looking for a good time."

"You've been dating my sister for a good time."

"Can we not talk about this right now?"

"Adrianna's excited. She's been wanting to help Ginny with wedding plans for a while."

"When I meant right now, I meant immediately. Look, there he is."

A blond had just stumbled out of a pub and into a narrow back alley. Harry and Ron ducked in behind him, following from a safe distance while they assessed the situation.

"How bad do you think it is?" Ron whispered as Draco tipped to the side. "Looks like he might hurt himself."

"He looks like that sober," Harry muttered back, but he was concerned. Draco was veering wildly towards a solid wall at a dangerous angle. "This is your fault, you know."

Ron pulled out his wand. "Stop blaming me for his issues. If he can't move on, then that's his fault. It's nothing to do with me. Malfoy!"

Draco turned around, face flush from the alcohol. Or anger. The way he was charging the two men, it was hard to decipher which. They stepped aside and Draco took a dive into some trash. Rolling his eyes again, Ron grabbed the man by the back of his jacket, pulling him out.

"You're completely out, aren't you?" he said, waving his hand in front of Draco's face. Draco shoved him away, glaring.

"What are you doing here?" he slurred, stumbling back into the trash before managing to prop himself up against a building. "Thought…thought you had someone to talk to."

Harry's lip curled. "God, you smell terrible. Ron, will you clean him up before he starts attracting attention."

"I don't need to be cleaned up, I'm fine!" Draco folded his arms over his chest, the same arms that had been holding him up against the wall. Ron smiled when he collapsed on the ground.

"Clearly."

"Ron."

"Yeah, yeah."

It was a few minutes before Draco was lucid and more-or-less cleaned up. He sat up against the wall, head in his hands.

"We picked up Sloan," Harry said after a while. "Didn't say much save that things are getting centralized. Someone's making waves and it's not just here."

"Did he say anything about the murders?" Draco inquired. Ron nodded.

"Said Matterson and Lakely got into some documents they weren't supposed to. Since Matterson's part of the Improper Use of Magic office, we figure it's more to do with Lakely, since he was an Unspeakable. We haven't been able to get permission to search his office yet."

"Ministry red tape," Harry muttered. Draco managed to his feet, still holding his head as it started pounding horribly.

"Did he say anything else?"

"Nope. So, are you going to fill us in?"

"I've told you everything I know. You two geniuses were supposed to be investigating this, not me."

"Well, we're at a stalemate. All we keep getting is someone's making moves in London's crime, muggle and magical. We're no closer to who it is then when we started."

Draco's lip curled as his face lit up with unbelievable loathing. "I've already told you-"

"Stop it, Malfoy." Ron shook his head. "We're not doing this again."

"You don't believe me?"

"Considering your personal relationship, it makes it difficult for us to take you seriously."

"Fuck my personal feelings, I know it's him."

"Without a shred of evidence!" Harry reminded the agitated blond. "And nobody's going to believe you. We don't even believe you."

Draco released a discontented growl before stalking off down the alley. "Fine, whatever. Go screw yourselves."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Come on, Harry. This was a waste, hm?"

"He's right, though. We do need to get into Lakely's office. He was killed for a reason."

"Yeah, but that's assuming whoever killed him knew he was an Unspeakable, and that's supposed to be impossible, right? And what the hell would they kill an Unspeakable for, anyway?"

"He knew something?"

"Who the hell is he going to tell, Harry? Unspeakable, remember?"

Harry shrugged. "I don't know. I'm just saying. Sloan seemed pretty scared after we told him what we were looking for, didn't he?"

"He didn't seem to want to be there anymore."

"He did say someone powerful."

"You think someone in the Ministry?"

"I think we need to get into that office."


	5. Chapter 5

_Hermione sighed as she climbed the stairs with Harry. "Why am I here again?"_

_"Ron got us tickets. And come on, Hermione. Look at this place!"_

_She glanced about herself at the already hysterical fans that were packed into the stadium. "Harry, are you and I seeing the same things?"_

_He laughed, taking her hand and dragging her the rest of the way up to their chairs. "Wow, these are brilliant! You can see the whole field from here without any glare from the lights."_

_"Is there anything to drown out the noise?"_

_"I can't believe you're behaving like this. You've been locked up in St. Mungo's for weeks doing tests. Don't you think you deserve to get out for a little while?"_

_"I would have preferred someplace less raucous, but I suppose this will have to do," she muttered. Harry noticed her expression and put his arm around her, pulling her close._

_"For one night, can we not think about him?" he asked. She glanced up at him and smiled._

_"Sorry, Harry. Of course. I'm happy to be here, you know that. This should be exciting. I hear Adrianna's the best Chaser since Troy."_

_"She had better. They've got a lot riding on this rematch with Bulgaria."_

_"Well, hopefully we won't have any post-Cup hysterics."_

_Harry nodded. "That's why they're having it on the Darthmore Estate this year. Bloke who owns it has good security. I think it's actually the Irish Seeker. Hey, there's Ron. Ron!"_

_Ron hurried up to them, accompanied by the whole Weasley clan. "You made it! Isn't this place bloody amazing?"_

_"I hear it belongs to the Irish Seeker," George said as he pushed Angela into a seat. "Aldridge Ace!"_

_"ALDRIDGE ACE!" roared the crowd. Hermione had to hold her hands over her ears at the cry that rang about the stadium as Irish fans took up the chant. Angela slapped George hard._

_"You idiot! Look what you did!"_

_George just laughed and cheered along with Ron, Bill, and Charlie. Hermione shook her head as Ginny came to stand beside her._

_"Can you believe this place? It's going to be incredible!"_

_"Let's hope so. I can't imagine having a place packed like this and the match being intolerable."_

_Ginny looked over at Ron. "He's so excited. I've never seen him so giddy in my life, save when he liked you."_

_Hermione rolled her eyes. "I doubt it. But you're right, he is completely mad right now, isn't he? What do you think, Molly?"_

_The Weasley Matriarch laughed and nodded. "Yes, but let's see how long it lasts. They're as bad as you and Ron were, and she's not afraid to be rough with him."_

_The women laughed. After some announcements, the Bulgarian team was introduced. Half the stadium screamed as Victor Krum did a lap, slowing down to give a special wave to Hermione. Then the Irish team was announced and the noise that followed was deafening. Adrianna swooped out, raising her fist to the air to get the crowd going. She then swooped down towards the seats her guests were occupying, flipping over so that she hung from the broom._

_"Give us a kiss for luck, Ron!" she yelled above the noise. Blushing furiously, he leaned up and pecked her on the cheek. Laughing, she released the broom to hang by her legs, grabbing Ron by the collar. "I need real luck, you stupid redhead!" The crowd roared as the Chaser's passionate kiss with her thoroughly embarrassed but eager boyfriend was broadcast on the screens. When she flew away, Ron's brothers thumped him on the back, all of them laughing at his slightly dazed expression._

_"ALDRIDGE ACE!"_

_The chant took up again as the spectacularly handsome Seeker zipped up through the stadium. Women were screaming and throwing things for him to catch. Even Bulgaria's mascots, the Veela, were trying to catch his attention. He flashed a winning smile and waved. Ginny nudged Hermione._

_"Lord, he could have my flat key."_

_"Hey!" Harry snapped. Ginny shrugged as Hermione and Angela giggled._

_"Well, if you had taken up Quidditch, then we wouldn't be having this conversation."_

_"And, as a special treat, ladies and gentlemen, Harry Potter is here in the crowd today!"_

_Harry blushed but waved as he appeared on the screen. The whole stadium cheered and the two teams flew over to greet him personally._

_"Who are you rooting for, Harry?" Aldridge inquired as he shook the man's hand. Harry laughed and gestured to Ron._

_"My friend's more of the fan, though I wouldn't mind if Ireland dealt it out to Bulgaria again."_

_Aldridge laughed and nodded. "I'll do my best." His caught sight of Hermione and his grin widened. "You must be the famous Hermione Granger."_

_Her cheeks warmed as he took her hand and kissed it. "How about a kiss for luck?" he asked. Her eyes widened and she shook her head._

_"I-I couldn't-"_

_"What do you say?" he called to the crowd. "A kiss from Hermione Granger gives good luck!"_

_The stadium exploded once more and Hermione's face caught fire as Aldridge turned his piercing eyes back on her. "They've spoken."_

_Before she could protest, he already had his lips against hers. It jolted her down to her core and she stumbled back in shock. He laughed and zoomed off amidst applause from Irish fans. Harry and Ron were peering at her curiously, but she avoided their gazes, rubbing her lips ruefully. She did not pay much attention to the match, most of her attention going to watching Aldridge fly about high above the stadium._

* * *

><p>"Bowie-"<p>

"I am sorry, Mistress. Miss Claire, come with me."

Hermione shook her head, pushing Claire behind her. "No. She is coming with me."

"Master did not say to let Miss Claire come. Master only says that you can come, Mistress."

"But it's her aunt's-"

"Master will get angry with Bowie if Bowie lets you go," the house elf insisted quite firmly, skipping around Hermione to snatch Claire by the wrist. "Miss Claire, you must come with me."

"But Mummy-"

"Now!"

The house elf was not prone to losing his temper, but lately Craven had been putting a lot of pressure on Bowie and the other house help to be less cordial with Hermione and Claire. She knew Bowie did not like being short, especially with Claire, but it was ensured that if any house help were dismissed, they would never find employment elsewhere. Thus, the temper.

Hermione watched Bowie lead a fitful Claire to her room before going to the main Floo system in the house. She wanted to rush back, scoop Claire into her arms, and whisk them both away to Harry's flat. But Craven got what he wanted no matter what.

"Ah, here she is!"

Hermione stepped out into the parlor, forcing a smile onto her face as Adrianna and Ginny hurried forward to greet her. Luna and Angela were right behind, hugging the woman in turn.

"How are you, Hermione?" Angela inquired. "Saw you in the _Prophet_ the other day. You're causing quite a scene, hm?"

Blushing, Hermione shrugged nonchalantly. "I try not to, but it's almost impossible to these days, with Craven's work getting all this attention."

"You're set to come up with something to fix memory patients," Molly Weasley pointed out as she and Arthur came into the parlor. "We've been keeping up. Hello, Hermione. It's been a while."

Hermione embraced them both. "It's been so long. I can't believe how busy I am."

"I can. She works too hard. I keep telling her to take time out and play every once and a while."

Her stomach clenched but her smile held as Craven walked in with Harry, Ron, and the other Weasley men. Neville was amongst them as was Luna. Craven slipped an arm around Hermione's waist, drawing her close and planting a kiss on her forehead.

"Evening, love," he whispered. His grip tightened sharply on her side. "You're late."

Luna noticed and moved forward quickly, flashing a wistful smile at Craven while pulling Hermione away from him. "Dear, you'll never believe what we discovered in Finland the other day. A two-headed Krumpled Langhorn. Come, I'll show you the photos."

She led Hermione into the kitchen, losing her smile with a shake of the head. "Silly. It wasn't Finland, it was Norway."

Hermione hugged Luna tightly. "You're a wonderful person," she whispered. Luna laughed and disengaged Hermione.

"Quite. Why were you late?"

"Claire wanted to come, but…you know how he is."

Luna nodded and poured some water for Hermione. "Well, I'm sure the others are eager to talk to you. Stay by my side."

"I'll try."

They reentered the parlor, where everyone was listening to Craven retell some wonderful story about some Quidditch match or other. Hermione was about to sit when Harry and Ron excused themselves and shuffled her out onto the balcony. Once the door was closed, they both embraced her.

"Lord, it's been too long," Ron muttered, smiling when tears appeared in her eyes. "Ah, there she goes, Harry."

"Come on, Hermione! No waterworks!"

"I'm sorry," she gasped, wiping her cheeks hurriedly. "I just…It's been a while, hasn't it! You two look tired."

They shrugged. "Big case. Long hours and no sleep. Plus, Harry's completely useless."

"Me? You're the one who is constantly late!"

"Only because you continually schedule everything for very late or very early in the morning. How do you expect me to keep irregular hours? Adrianna's had a row about it yesterday!"

Hermione laughed as the two went at it. She missed them terribly and it was good to see they had not changed at all. Craven had not changed too much of her routine, but because he was busy, she was busy. She rarely got the chance to see them outside of the office and for so extended a time period. Usually it was just a quick chat while they were headed in or out on investigations or she was in between her designs and tests.

"How are things at St. Mungo's?" Harry asked.

"When I'm there, hectic." She sighed. "I wish I had more time to spare for the tests…all my time these days is with the fashion designs."

"For Muggles." Ron chuckled, shaking his head. "You're a confusing person, Hermione. I never quite understand you."

"I never quite understand myself, either. But enough about me. How are you?"

"Well, it's like I said. Big case."

"That Matterson murder?"

Harry smiled wanly. "Can't let you in on details."

"Pretty deep stuff," Ron added. "Just us and the contact…"

Harry shot Ron a dark look and the man flushed, glancing down at Hermione. "Um, contacts."

Hermione looked between the two men. "What? What are you…oh…"

"Hermione-"

She shook her head, leaning against the railing. "No, it's okay. I shouldn't have pried."

"Hermione-"

"Harry!"

Ginny poked her head out. "Harry, will you come in and help me with the food?"

Harry gave Ron a hard look before following Ginny inside. Ron leaned against the rail, looking down at Hermione curiously.

"Are you okay?"

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be?"

"I shouldn't have said anything."

"It's alright, Ron. It's not like it matters, right? I…I should have known-"

"Are you sure-"

"It's ancient history, Ron." She smiled at him. "I'm fine. I was actually thinking about a design. You see that pattern in the sky? Wouldn't that look wonderful on a dress?"

Ron laughed and kissed her forehead. "I'll never understand you. Come on, let's get inside. I'm sure they're going to start soon."

"I'll be a minute," she said. "I want to copy this down for later."

Ron nodded and disappeared inside. Hermione made sure the drapes had fallen back in front of the glass doors before covering her face, trying desperately to catch her breath.

It had been almost two years since she had heard anything of Draco. Harry and Ron had never mentioned him and she had always assumed he had dropped off the map. But Harry and Ron were in contact with him. She removed her hands to look out at the city. That meant he had to be close. Apparating was out of the question with him and the two would not be able to travel too far out of London during the weekdays in order to not draw suspicion. Draco was in London, or close enough to it.

Her heart was pounding so hard she thought it would burst if she thought about him a moment longer. Any memories related to him were buried deep to keep the pain to a minimum. She knew dwelling on this new piece of information would only dredge those memories up and that was the last thing she needed.

Taking a deep breath, she made sure her face was in order before reentering the parlor. She offered Harry and Ron smiles to let them know she was fine and then took a seat beside Craven.


	6. Chapter 6

_The whole tent was alive with people celebrating the Irish victory. Music blared as people ate, drank, and congratulated the team as they finally entered the party. Adrianna went straight to Ron, grinning as he swept her up in his arms._

_"You were brilliant!" he roared above the noise. "Bloody brilliant!"_

_"That kiss wasn't too bad, either!" she said and the crowd laughed. Blushing, Ron smiled and kissed her firmly._

_Hermione shook her head. "He's so ridiculous," she told Ginny, who laughed and nodded._

_"But he's in love, so there's nothing to be done, right?"_

_Angelina scowled as George got a rather nice kiss from another female player. "I think I'll have a word with that woman," she snapped, getting up. Ginny followed, leaving Hermione alone by the canvas wall._

_"A drink, miss," said a house elf, presenting a tray to her. She shook her head._

_"No, thank you."_

_"Compliments of Mr. Aldridge, miss."_

_She frowned and looked around. "Oh, um…tell him thank you, but I can't."_

_"How disappointing," said the man himself as he materialized from the crowd. "I would have thought pumpkin juice was your drink."_

_He flashed a smile that made her cheeks warm. "Thank you for the offer, though."_

_"How about a walk, then?"_

_"I don't-"_

_"It's stuffy in here and you can't hear a single thing."_

_Hermione bit her lip. Ginny had told her a little bit about Aldridge earlier, saying the man was incredibly popular amongst the Quidditch circles as well as in high social circles of the magical community, as he was a proven pureblooded descendant of Rowena Ravenclaw. He seemed to be well liked by anyone who knew him and, with his looks, women were never too far away. Even now, a group of women were watching the two curiously. She wondered if she wanted to go on a walk with this man when there were clearly so many others who would rather do so._

_But he had made a good point. The tent was brimming with people and, not much on crowds or Quidditch, Hermione finally nodded._

_"I suppose a walk is fine."_

_He smiled, offering his arm to her, which she took after a moment's contemplation. They slipped out of the tent into the considerably cooler night air, which felt wonderful on Hermione's skin. The tent had been set up near the stadium on the grounds, so the couple veered away towards the house, keeping to a well-lit path that winded through some gardens._

_"Sorry about the kiss," he began with a chuckle. "Took you by surprise, didn't I?"_

_"It's okay. I understand why it was done."_

_"Crowd's a bad influence, and you're a stunning woman. Both were pretty irresistible."_

_She blushed furiously, looking away across the grounds to keep him from seeing her embarrassment. "You played well. You left Victor thoroughly confused at the end."_

_He laughed. "He's got that feint that he does, but I have sheer speed on my side, not that it much mattered I suppose. Bugger of a snitch, it was a miracle I even saw it when I did." He glanced at her. "You know Krum?"_

_"From when I went to Hogwarts. During the Tri-Wizard Tournament, Durmstrang students were at the school, so we met."_

_"Oh, I remember that. Harry was in that, wasn't he? It was a strange time, hm?"_

_She nodded. "Very…I imagine it wasn't nearly as dramatic in Ireland."_

_"Actually, I'm from London." At her raised eyebrow, he nodded. "Yeah, my mother's Irish and my father's a native, but I grew up in London. Joined the Irish team for my mum."_

_"I'm sure she's proud of you."_

_She noticed that he was continuously sneaking peeks at her and she wondered why he was so curious._

_"You're very beautiful," he said, as if reading her mind. They stopped and he offered a smile she could only assume he used on women because her insides turned funny. "Of course, beauty is nothing without brains, which you have a lot of. I'm very impressed with your research at St. Mungo's."_

_Her eyes lit up. "You know about it?"_

_He laughed. "When I'm not on a broom, I have to do something productive. You're making strides in new healing methods that have got a lot of other people scratching their heads over, especially that one about the slugs."_

_She smiled at remembering her second year. "Yes, well that one's more for a friend than anything. But it's nice to hear a lot of people are interested. You spend so much time in a room testing spells and potions, you forget people are actually outside wanting to know what you're doing."_

_"Well, I support what you're doing, in spirit and in galleons. I'm sure you need all the financial support you can get, hm?"_

_"It helps. Thank you."_

_They resumed their walk. "How did you get into Healing?"_

_She shrugged. "After the war, there was a lot of gap at St. Mungo's. Healers missing and such, so I stepped in to help. It wasn't so much the healing aspect as much as searching for new spells or more efficient potions for the Healers to use. I saw a lot of people that had to go into the Permanent Ward because there wasn't a spell to fix what they had. A lot of people died for the same reason. I wanted to change that."_

_He was peering down at her with a wan smile. "I can see this is something close to you. Well, I can't imagine a better person to be heading up the research department over there. I hear several prominent Healers from China and India are coming in to help you."_

_"They are much more experienced when it comes to potions, so I asked for their help. Everyone's very eager."_

_"What potion is it?"_

_She shook her head, flashing a veiled smile. "I couldn't tell you yet. You'll find out once we're done and the Ministry approves it."_

_"Mysterious, too." His hand slipped into hers and he squeezed it gently, giving her an appreciative smile. "I'm liking you more and more."_

_Blushing furiously, she stopped walking. They were practically at the house now, so far away from tent. And people. Releasing a nervous laugh, she gestured back towards the stadium._

_"Maybe we should start heading back," she said, hoping she did not sound too insistent. "I know Ginny's going to be worried. Or jealous, I don't know."_

_"Jealous?"_

_"You're apparently quite popular amongst the ladies."_

_His eyebrow rose. "Apparently?"_

_Her eyes widened and she just knew her face was hot red. "I mean…I don't follow Quidditch as much as my friends, so I wasn't all too acquainted with you before today. And I spend all my time in a lab, so it's…I really don't have anything else."_

_He laughed at her embarrassment. "It's alright! I was just having some fun with you. I gathered from our conversation that you were not much of a Quidditch fan or a fan of mine."_

_"Not to say I'm not a fan, I just…I mean, I do like you." She could barely believe the words coming out of her mouth. Why was he making it so hard for her to think? She shook her head. "I mean, you know. You're very likable. Amiable. I-"_

_He put a finger to her lips. "I understand," he said. "And I like you, too."_

_Before she could stop him, he had leaned in and kissed her again. He was quite a man about it, too; he tipped her to the side a little so that she was forced to hold on to his arms. He had one hand on the small of her back while the other rested comfortably behind her neck to keep her from straining. The kiss itself was just as core shocking as the first, with its fierce confidence betraying some deeper will. On the whole, she imagined they looked very romantic there on the path. Or, they would have if she had responded as willingly as he perhaps she would. Not to say that she did not respond, because for a moment she forgot herself, he was so intoxicating._

_But perhaps it was that same reason that made her open her eyes and break away. She felt dazed, almost as if a fog had temporarily set in. Her heart was racing and every part of her body yearned for the lean power she had felt rippling underneath his clothes. She turned away, touching her lips as she tried to sort herself out. How could someone be so overwhelming? How had he sucked her in so quickly?_

_"Are you okay, Hermione?"_

_She turned back to him, making sure to hide her inward struggle. He looked very concerned and she hoped she did not look too unbalanced._

_"Um, I'm sorry," she muttered. "I think I should return to the tent now."_

_He nodded, taking her arm. "Of course, if you want. We'll take the short cut."_

_They did not speak the entire time and Hermione was glad for it. She felt…she wasn't quite sure how she felt. The overwhelming sensation that had gripped her while in his arms was terrifying to think about. That one man could make her feel that way…_

_Biting her lip, she kept her gaze locked on the stadium. The faster they got back, the faster she could pretend none of this happened._

* * *

><p>A knock at the door brought Hermione's attention away from the animated bone in front of her. Neville leaned in with a smile.<p>

"Working, I suppose?"

She smiled and ended the enchantment on the bone. "Never for you, Neville. Come in."

He sat in a seat on the other side of the desk, glancing about her office. "Every time I come in here, there's something new. Like that."

She looked at the bone assembly she had on a metal slab in the corner. "Came in from Rwanda yesterday. They figured out how to get rid of a particular fungus but need a more definite recipe for the potion they used. I was actually going to owl you about it later today. I was hoping you would be able to help Sylvie with it."

"You're not working on it?"

"I'm too busy with this," she said, gesturing to the bone she had been inspecting. He leaned in, frowning.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Nothing magical. It's off of a Muggle cancer patient."

"Muggle?"

She noted his surprise with a wan smile. "That's right. Muggle. I'm doing some independent research. Actually, it's what I've been doing for sometime now."

"You mean you're doing research for Muggle diseases?"

"I've always wanted to, and why not? We use magic to heal magical ailments. Why not use it to cure some Muggle ones?"

He smiled. "That's great, Hermione. I bet you'll get a lot of funding for this."

Her smile faltered here and she glanced at the door. "Well…you can't tell anyone about this, Neville. Promise. I'm really not supposed to let anyone know. It's independent right now. Don't want the Ministry poking into it."

He nodded. "I understand."

"You understand what?"

They both turned to see Craven come in. While Neville got up to greet him, Hermione put the bone away quickly.

"How are you, Craven?" Neville inquired.

"Doing well, thank you. And yourself? I hear you're about to run an expedition down to the Amazon."

"Looking for some new plant life. Hopefully we'll find something with medicinal properties."

"That's always the idea, hm?" Craven leaned over to kiss Hermione's cheek. "And how are you, love?"

"Fine," she said, casting him a small smile. "What are you doing here?"

Craven rolled his eyes. "She's always forgetting lunch, Neville. The witch thinks she can work forever and never eat."

Neville laughed. "She was like that at school. Always working."

Hermione scowled. "I'll owl you the details about the bone assembly, Neville," she snapped. He grinned and, with a goodbye to Craven, he left. As soon as the door closed behind him, Craven's amiable attitude fell away and he moved away from her to inspect the office.

"Do you ever leave this room?" he asked with some disdain as his gaze fell on several piles of parchment around the office. She stood, dark shadow over her face.

"You would know, wouldn't you?"

He shot her a warning glare. "Do not start, Hermione. I don't have time for it. Get your coat."

"I'm not hungry."

"I don't give a flying shit whether you are or not. I have a lunch meeting with the Minister and you are going to be there."

"I have research to do."

He chuckled. "Yes, I know. That silly little bone you're hiding in the desk. Oh, don't look so surprised. How did you not know I had someone routinely checking your offices?"

Her hands clenched into tight fists. "You have no right-"

"Well, since I fuck you, I have every right," he muttered, turning away from some photos on the wall. "Get your coat, or are we going to argue and see who wins? Because we can do that if you want."

Cheeks flushed pink from anger, she snatched up her coat. He held the door open for her, something that made her want to slap him. He did silly things like that just to push her buttons. But she stayed herself as she came out into the corridor. Several Healers smiled and waved as they walked by as the couple headed towards the Floo service area. Craven took a handful of powder and, when they both stepped up, he stated the name of a restaurant she did not recognize. The emerged in a backroom where two of Craven's men were waiting for them.

"The Minister has just arrived, as well as several cabinet members," one of them said as Craven pushed Hermione through a door. She frowned.

"Cabinet members? Craven-"

"Ah, Mr. Prime Minister!" Craven said loudly as they came out into a spacious dining area of some expensive restaurant. Hermione's eyes widened as the Muggle Prime Minister stood up with a smile on his face. "I would love for you to meet my lovely wife, Hermione Granger. Love, you know the Minister."

Hermione glanced at Craven before shaking the Minister's hand. "A pleasure, sir."

"Please, please! Sit down. Craven, you'll sit here by me, though I would love to have a good view of your wife. You are quite lovely, Ms. Granger. She doesn't take your name?"

"Business reasons," Craven said as they all sat down. "Hermione has the fashion line, so it was easier to just keep everything as was."

"Ah, yes!" said a cabinet member with a grin. "_Alohamora_, isn't it?" At Hermione's nod, he laughed. "My wife is in love with your line, Ms. Granger. Every time something new comes out, she's after it. Lovely stuff."

"Thank you." Hermione managed smiles and answers to everyone's questions, but inside burned a question of her own and as lunch progressed, it got even worse. Craven's friendly conversation with all the politicians present did nothing for her, either. How did Craven know the Muggle Prime Minister?

"Hermione, love, the Minister asked you a question."

She started and turned. "Excuse me?"

The man glanced at the others before leaning in. "Your parents. I asked about them."

She frowned, looking to Craven. What was going on? He took a sip of wine, but she saw the smile. The smile that knew more than everyone else in the room. The smile that held all of the cards.

"Um, I'm sorry. I don't understand-"

"They are like us, aren't they? Muggles, I suppose you would call it."

She blinked and looked around. The others had the same curious looks on their faces. As if talking about Muggles was something normal for them to do.

"How do you-"

"Oh, it's alright," said a cabinet member with a smile. "Nobody here's going to say anything outside this room. It's a very safe place."

No place with Craven was safe. She shifted under their gazes and finally nodded.

"Yes."

The Minister nodded, looking incredibly pleased. "That's very good. Very good. It's nice to see productive people working on both sides. Very comforting, especially after that mess of a war you all had."

Craven laughed. "Yes, that was a strain on relationships, wasn't it?"

The conversation moved on to Craven's technology business and never again touched the subject of magic. Hermione was silent the whole time, listening to Craven as he charmed the room with that smile and those words that fell like honey on the ears of those who did not know. He was masterful, saying just enough to let them fluff their own egos but commanding the conversation with the quiet precision of a maestro conducting a symphony. He had them falling in love with him without them even knowing it and Hermione wanted to warn them. To scream and tell them the trap they were all falling into, even if she didn't know what it was either.

But she sat in silence. Sat and wondered what that smile was all about. And why she was there.

* * *

><p>"Harry-"<p>

"No, Ron."

"But Harry-"

He sighed. "Ron-"

"Look at him, Harry!"

"No."

Ron growled out something vulgar and, taking a broom, he poked Draco's still form. "Up you go, Malfoy."

"Ron!" Harry snatched the broom. "You're an ass."

"You wake him up, then!"

Harry rolled his eyes, moving around the couch to get a better view of Draco's face. "He's not even asleep, Ron."

"Yes he is."

"Come look at his face. He's definitely awake."

Ron came to stand beside Harry and they both peered down at Draco. "What do you want to do, then?" Ron muttered, tilting his head to the side. Harry sighed and handed the broom back to Ron. Smiling, the redhead jabbed Draco as hard as he could. "GET UP!"

Draco fell out of the couch with a yell. Harry shook his head while Ron laughed. Blinking several times, Draco looked up.

"What the fu-"

"You passed out," Harry interjected, handing a cup to Draco. "Drink that before you get up."

"You should have seen your face!" Ron gasped, falling into a chair as he continued to chuckle. He mimicked Draco's shock before breaking into another laughing fit. Draco chucked a pillow at him, glaring.

"I'll bloody peel that smile off his face," he snarled after downing the potion Harry had given him. "What the hell do you two want?"

"We need your help finding someone."

Ron nodded, sobering up quickly as he pulled a photo out of his pocket. "Yeah, we finally got permission to search the office, but it looked like someone had already been through it. Thoroughly, too. We were lucky to find this."

Draco accepted the photo. It was a female brunette, tall and smiling as she spun around in a leotard. She gave a little bow before laughing and spinning again. Clearly playing to whoever took the photo. He frowned.

"She looks familiar."

Harry nodded. "We thought so, too. It was concealed underneath a floor trap. Whoever searched the room found the trap, but nobody bothered looking underneath it."

"We need your help finding her," Ron continued. "Lakely went through a lot of trouble to hide her photo, so she's probably involved in whatever got him killed."

"You don't even know why he was killed. She could just be some woman he was having an affair with."

"If that were true, she'd be easy to find, wouldn't she? But we checked the Ministry. No one like her works there and I can't imagine a man hiding an affair if it wasn't with someone other people would recognize, especially at work. That, and look at the photo. She's a Muggle."

Draco got back up onto the couch with a groan, holding his head. "You realize that I'm being hunted by the Muggle police as well, right?"

Harry sighed. "Look, we'd look for her ourselves, but we're trying to keep a low profile on this thing. If Sloan was right and this thing goes high up, then maybe the wrong person in the Ministry finds out we're snooping and the whole thing gets shut down. You look for her so we can keep everyone else thinking we're still just looking into the murders."

"And what do I get?"

Ron's lip curled. "Malfoy-"

"Don't you Malfoy me, Weasley," Draco snarled. "Right now, you've got me stashed in this godforsaken motel under _your_ name. You had better have some sort of incentive for me to wander off doing your bidding."

"We don't have that kind of funding-"

"Oh, I'm sure you can find something, Potter. All that money everyone threw at you after the war is stashed somewhere, along with all your personal wealth. Between you and Weasley's wife's Quidditch gold mine, you should find something."

"And if we don't."

Draco smirked and turned on the television. "Then your wife will get a lovely little bill detailing all the naughty things you were doing on her tab."

"You bastard-"

"Stop, Ron." Harry shook his head. "Malfoy, you're not making this easy-"

Chucking the remote at the wall, Draco stood so quickly that Harry and Ron pulled their wands out. "I'm sorry, what was that? Not making this easy for you? I didn't know me being forced into hiding while still having to do your bloody work was supposed to be easy!"

Harry glanced at Ron before sighing. "We'll work on something, yeah? Just, sit down, will you?"

Draco moved to the window instead, glaring out at the street below. "I'll look for her," he said after a while. Then, "How is she?"

Harry and Ron exchanged looks. "Um…fine. She's doing well."

"Is she?"

"Malfoy-"

He shook his head as he picked up a half-empty bottle of firewhiskey. "Get out."

"The girl-"

"I'll find your fucking girl, Potter. Just get out!"


	7. Chapter 7

_It was two days before she was able to get away from her office and see Draco. In between that time, however, the Daily Prophet had been up to its old tricks. Several photos of the unscheduled Quidditch kiss between Aldridge and Hermione had shown up with headlines questioning a relationship between everyone's beloved Seeker and the Briton's brightest witch. Quite a few women demanding the claim be universally dismissed as well as others who approved whole-heartedly had stopped her where she was. There were plenty of Rita Skeeters who stalked her, though she always managed to Apparate before they got too close to ask questions._

_Draco had moved his place of residence again, so she was forced to take the train an hour out to get to him. It was a quiet neighborhood and she found his place very easily. He kept the name V. L. Roach, something she always smiled about whenever she saw it on the hotel registry. She was given a key (she always announced herself as Mrs. Roach and had an ID made up to prove it) and then headed up._

_He was on couch in the small suite, files and papers strewn about the floor and coffee table. The television, which he had gotten sucked into after going underground, was on but muted and playing a football match. He got to his feet as she locked the door behind her, eyebrow raised._

_"I wasn't sure I would be seeing you," he said when she approached. "I thought you would be working all week."_

_She shook her head, hugging him tightly. "I had to get away," she mumbled into his chest. "It's been a dreadful weekend."_

_He snorted, returning to the couch with her. "Blaise said you were supposed to go to the World Cup. Can't imagine that being dreadful."_

_When she did not reply, he frowned and looked at her more closely. "Something wrong?"_

_Because of his situation, he could not receive any owls and thus did not read any wizarding publications. What news he got was from Blaise, Harry, Ron, and Hermione, and it was infrequent because he was constantly on the move and they constantly had to find him without letting the Ministry know about it. She sighed, wondering if she even wanted to tell him. Craven had not contacted her since the World Cup and she had not attempted to reach him. She still felt strange thinking about him. Her whole body became nervously excited and she had to take a few breaths just to get in control. It was a rush and she did not know why, especially since the kiss had lasted no more than a few seconds._

_"Granger."_

_"Hm?" She looked at him. "What?"_

_His eyebrow got higher. "Are you feeling well?"_

_"I…I don't know." She looked at his lips, wondering about Craven's. "Do…do you think you could kiss me?"_

_Both eyebrows disappeared under his hair. "You're not well, are you?"_

_"Just answer the question."_

_"Since when have you had to ask?"_

_She shook her head, starting to stand. He grabbed her quickly, smirking._

_"No, no. It's okay. I'll oblige."_

_"Draco, I'm trying to be serious-"_

_This was his way. Draco always had to cut her off with a good snog. Like he did not particularly like hearing her talk. His lips were cool and tasted of the soda he had just consumed, putting a smile on her face. She eagerly responded, loving how tender yet firm he was. Kissing Draco was like waltzing. It was graceful and beautiful. It didn't matter to her if he led the dance because the whole thing left her weightless, breathless, and so very satisfied._

_He slowed a little before breaking away, just enough for them to catch their breath. She pulled herself into his lap, tucking her head up against his neck with a gentle sigh of contentment._

_"Are you going to tell me what that was about?" he asked after a while, arms around her as he watched the football game. "Not that I'm complaining. I liked that. I was just wondering what's got you all pleasant today?"_

_"Just some other man."_

_For a while, she thought perhaps he had not heard her correctly because he did not move. But then he started chuckling and she found herself held out at arm's length._

_"What?"_

_She frowned. "Why are you laughing?"_

_"Because I want to make sure I heard you correctly."_

_"Another man."_

_He laughed again. "That's what I thought you said."_

_"Why is that funny?"_

_"It's not particularly hilarious, but…it is keeping me from doing anything rash."_

_Sighing, she pulled an edition of the Prophet out of her bag and handed it to him. "I should show it to you before Blaise does."_

_Draco frowned, chuckles stopping as he took in the photo. It was replaying Aldridge kissing Hermione, each time from a different angle except Hermione's, which she found a little unfair. He stared at it for a moment before tossing it on the table._

_"So?"_

_She blinked. "What?"_

_"Do you want me to react poorly to something that clearly wasn't your doing?"_

_Her cheeks flushed and she looked away. "Well…"_

_He turned to her, eyebrow raised. "Well what? That's not the only photo?"_

_She shook her head. "No, that's not it…that's not the only kiss."_

_When he did not reply, she looked at him. He had turned from her, staring at the newspaper intently._

_"Draco-"_

_"You're doing a poor job of explaining quickly, Granger."_

_"I…we went for a walk on the grounds. It was just a walk-" He snorted here, standing up to pace. "Draco, don't do that. I'm telling you because I promised I wouldn't keep anything from you. And he kissed me both times, so don't you get that…that! That look, don't look at me like that! You don't honestly believe I would-"_

_Draco glanced at her before shaking his head, sitting in a chair opposite her. "No," he said after a minute of watching her carefully. And he did not seem like he questioned her fidelity. He just seemed…annoyed._

_"Draco-"_

_"What happened? The second time, what happened?"_

_She hesitated, that strange rush returning to her. It was so powerful this time, however, that she held her stomach as the world spun for a moment. Draco frowned, coming to crouch down in front of her._

_"Are you okay?"_

_"I feel…I don't know, Draco. It was really confusing."_

_"So you liked it?"_

_Her eyes widened and she shook her head furiously. "No! I…" She took his face in her hands. "Do I even have to tell you how I feel about you?"_

_A wan smile came to his face and he kissed her softly._

* * *

><p>"Are you going to tell me what this afternoon was about?" she asked as soon as the servants had taken away their coats. Craven looked through some letters before turning to her.<p>

"Excuse me?"

"The lunch this afternoon. How-"

"Do I know the Muggle Prime Minister?" Craven smiled the Devil's smile and started into the study. "I don't see how that concerns you."

"He knows I'm Muggleborn," she snapped, following him. "I think that concerns me a good deal!"

"What he knows about you isn't your concern, either." He sat behind his desk, watching her closely. "You really are curious, aren't you?"

"I think I have a right to know."

"Well, all in good time. Right now, I want you to be a good witch and go call Goya. I want some of your items sent to Hadley's wife tomorrow."

"Craven-"

His sharp gaze stopped her, but she did not move. He glanced over her before smiling again.

"I suppose you have behaved yourself, haven't you?" He stood, coming around the table. "You should probably be rewarded for it." She instantly wished she had left when he had told her to. She started for the door, but a wave of his wand shut it and locked it. Her hand instinctively went for her wand and he chuckled.

"Do it," he whispered, approaching her slowly. "I want you to do it. Give me a reason."

She hesitated and that was all he needed. He had her by the throat and against one of the pillars in the room in a single action, lips pressed hard against hers. When his tongue plunged deep into her mouth her stomach threatened upheaval of lunch if she did not quickly numb herself up.

A knock at the door saved her the trouble. He pulled away, glaring at her as he continued to grip her at the neck.

"What?"

"Letter from the Ministry, sir."

Frowning, Craven released Hermione and opened the door. She watched as he read the document carefully and was surprised when he glanced at her with some annoyance. He handed the letter back to his man before gesturing to Hermione.

"Go do something to her," he muttered, snapping his fingers. A house elf appeared with his coat. "I won't be back until late, so entertain yourself until then."

* * *

><p>Ron looked up from his desk with a smile. "Hello, love."<p>

Adrianna leaned over to give him a quick kiss before settling down in a seat. "I wanted to see if you'd be getting off for dinner. I know you've been working a lot and hoped you'd at least be free tonight."

Ron sighed, gesturing to his desk. "Sorry, love. Too much work. Harry and I are still working those two murders and, if we don't make any headway this week, we'll be pulled off."

She frowned, coming around the table. "You promised."

"I know! But we just finished finding something worth moving on and the case is so damn complicated that we…well, Harry and I are keeping everything pretty close. I can't get away."

Flipping her hair over her shoulder, she pouted a little. "You've been gone every night for the last two weeks, Ron. I wanted to spend time with you."

"I know and I will make it up to you as soon as we get a new lead-"

Rolling her eyes, she pushed him back in his seat while throwing her leg over onto the other side so that she was straddling him.

"I was thinking something more immediate."

His eyes widened and he shook his head, glancing nervously at the door as she started unbuckling his pants while planting kisses down his neck. "Ady, the office is monitored-"

"Then we'll give them a show, hm?" she whispered, pushing the shirt away to kiss his chest. "I _need_ you, Ron. Do you understand what that means?"

"Adrianna!" he gasped when she pulled off her shirt.

"It means I have fifteen minutes before all the fun leaves me and I turn into a frigid bitch for a solid year."

Ron immediately pushed her skirt up. "I have ten minutes."

"Ron, I think I found-SHIT!"

Adrianna gasped, snatching up a shirt to cover herself up. Ron swore, glaring at Harry.

"Bloody hell, Harry!"

Harry scrambled out of the room, face red as he tried to unsee his partner in the midst of…He shook his head furiously.

A few minutes later Adrianna slipped out, blushing too much to meet his gaze as she hurried away. Harry waited a few more minutes before going in. Ron had his face in his hands, cursing away.

"You okay?" Harry asked cautiously and was immediately assaulted with a series of hexes.

"You couldn't bloody knock, could you?" Ron yelled. "Five minutes! That's all I needed! You tosser!"

"You should have known better!"

"That you were going to walk in on me shagging my wife?" Ron cursed him several more times before Harry managed to wrestle the wand away from him. "Two weeks, you realize that? Lord, I will kill you Harry."

Harry managed a smile before tossing a file on the table. "I came to tell you that I found something."

Ron gave him one last dark look before turning to the file. "Financial statement?"

"Yeah, Lakely and Matterson's. Notice anything."

"Yeah. Every time one makes a withdrawal, the other makes a deposit. Same amounts every time. How are we just now getting this?"

Harry rolled his eyes, leaning against the desk. "Gringotts' has been stonewalling, like everyone else. You know goblins. When I threatened to shut down Diagon Alley, they finally handed over the statements, though as you can see, it's been edited."

Ron nodded. "Right, but they didn't get everything. The dates are still here. Looks like they've been trading money for quite some time. Three months, you think?"

"They wouldn't give me more that three months back, but we can assume that it's probably been going on longer. Thing is, why were they passing the money around? If what the goblins left in the statement has any credibility, we can assume none of it ever actually left Gringotts."

Ron pointed to Matterson's statement. "Yeah, but look. Looks like something over…Lord, I can't read this!"

Harry snatched the parchment, peering at it closely. He waved his wand over it and some ink marks appeared. "They tried to make it smaller." He handed it back to Ron, as he couldn't read it the goblins' financial language. Ron frowned.

"Looks like Matterson transferred over ten thousand galleons into some account."

"Name?"

"I can't make it out-"

A knock interrupted them. They looked up to see Craven in the doorway. Harry's eyebrow rose.

"Craven? What are you doing down here at this hour?"

Craven laughed. "That's a good way to greet visitors."

Harry smiled. "Sorry. Come in, of course. We didn't think anyone would still be hanging around."

Craven shrugged. "Came by to see you on my way out. They said you'd be over here with Ron. How are you, Ron? Saw your wife a minute ago. Looked a little pink in the face. She alright?"

Ron flushed and glared at Harry. "She would have been," he grumbled. Harry blushed a little.

"Yes, she's fine. What was it that you needed?"

Craven offered a wan smile. "I won't lie. I'm curious. Matterson was a friend, so…"

Ron nodded. "Right, you two were mates, hm? Sorry, I forgot. Well, we're getting on, but you know how this death business is. Nobody wants to come forward and say, 'I did it.'"

"That would make things easier, wouldn't it?" Craven said with a laugh. "I understand you have to keep things to yourselves. I was just hoping you had made some progress. I know his wife would love some closure on the whole thing."

"We're doing our best. It was quite a little mess, so we're still trying to clear some things up."

Craven nodded in understanding and headed to the door. "Well, I won't keep you. Hope you solve it soon. I know the Ministry is in a hurry to get passed it, but thorough is better than quick, hm?"

Harry smiled. "Glad somebody understands that. We'll be seeing you, Craven. Say hello to Hermione for us."

"I'll make sure she gets the message. Take care."

Once Craven had left, Ron sighed. "Lord, everyone wants to know about that damn case. You know, the bloody head of Magical Transportation came up here asking about it!"

Laughing, Harry gestured to the parchments. "What do you want to do about this?"

Ron's face twisted. "I hate to say it, but we may have to go talk to Parkinson."

Harry's lip curled. "I don't think it's that bad."

"Yeah, but we don't have a lot of options in who we can take this to, you know. Parkinson's in with…well, she's in with Zabini, and Luna seems to like her, so I suppose we should go see her."

Harry groaned and Ron smiled. "I'm sure it won't be so bad."

"She hates me."

"I think she's got a crush on you."

"Yeah, like a black widow kind."

Ron laughed, gathering up his things. "Let's go see her before her floor closes."


	8. Chapter 8

_Hermione returned to her office that evening, musing over her afternoon with Draco. They had slipped out to a rather suspicious looking restaurant Draco knew to have lunch, a rare thing for the couple. Usually they had to stay indoors, but this neighborhood was out of the way of the Ministry. She smiled, running a finger over her lips at remembering how aloof he had been with a waiter who had paid her too much attention._

_"What a beautiful smile."_

_She came to a stop in the hall, eyes wide as Craven appeared. Other Healers paused, smiling and pointing as the man approached Hermione with all the air of a man dripping raw confidence. That rush came back tenfold and it was all she could do to keep on her feet in a sensible fashion._

_"Aldridge?" she managed out, taking a step back and glancing around at her curious coworkers. "I…What are you…um, Aldridge, what…"_

_She could not believe how stupid she sounded, but it did not seem to bother him. He just smiled and gestured to her office._

_"Why don't we talk in private?"_

_One look around the hallway told her this would be the best plan, even though she was not quite sure if she wanted to be alone with him. Still, with all these eyes, there was little to be done. She led him in, lowering the blinds so that people couldn't look in through the window. She went to her desk while he moved about the office, smiling at photos and certificates she had about the walls._

_"I can barely believe everything you've accomplished in the few years you've been out of school," he said, gesturing to a certificate she had received for finding a cure for goblin ear warts, a disease that was quite common in Latin American witches. "I remember this."_

_She sat down, taking a good look at him. He was dressed casually in slacks and dark blue robes, but he still looked every bit the capable athlete she had seen at the World Cup. Her stomach turned in involuntary excitement, forcing her to look away._

_Get a hold of yourself! she scolded. Draco's every bit as handsome and you don't turn so much over him! What's wrong with you?_

_"If you're busy, I don't want to bother you," she heard him saying and met his gaze._

_"No, I'm…I…" She blinked to remember what she was trying to say. "I'm free right now. What was it that you needed?"_

_He flashed a knowing smile as he sat across from her. "It's been a while since we last saw each other. You were a little flustered last time, so I wanted to make sure you were okay. I didn't know if I had scared you-"_

_"No!" She smiled wanly. "No, you didn't scare me…I was a little shocked, but I'm quite okay, thank you."_

_"Good. Well," and with that he leaned forward, "I was hoping it would be alright if I asked you out for a drink."_

_She had to bite her tongue to keep it from shooting out a hasty and unwanted 'yes'. Why her body seemed to be so intent on Craven Aldridge, she had no idea, especially when every time Draco broached the subject she clamped up tight. But intent on him it was and she knew accepting an offer to drinks would only make matters worse._

_"I'm sorry," she finally managed out. "I couldn't…I mean, I would, that is to say…" She sighed. "I can't. It's impossible."_

_His eyebrow rose and for a moment he saw pure shock there. She understood, too. She imagined not many women said no to those eyes and that body._

_"You can't?"_

_She shook her head. "I like you. But it wouldn't be appropriate." She regretted that. People only said that when they were already in relationships and only a few select people knew Hermione was involved with someone. Craven, of course, was quick to pick up on this little slip and frowned._

_"I…I wasn't aware you were dating-"_

_"I'm not," she said, but the hasty lie made her grimace and he caught it._

_"You are-"_

_"No, no, I'm not." She looked down at her desk. "Craven, I…that evening was lovely, but I'm afraid I can't see you on that kind of basis."_

_She was surprised when he came around the desk, eyebrow raised. "I understand, but couldn't you at least tell me who I'm losing to?"_

_"It's nobody," she insisted._

_"Then why would going out with me be inappropriate?"_

_No other excuse seemed reasonable, but letting him know there was a man was not an option, even if he suspected as much._

_Before she could try to think up something, she realized he was kissing her. He had leaned forward, hands on either side of her chair so that she was blocked in. Not that she was trying very hard to get away. She had effectively lost control of her body for a moment and felt completely helpless as it responded to him, kissing him back and even pulling him closer as everything grew hot. Like last time, she finally did pull away but it took longer and more strength to do so. But just as she did, she managed a glimpse past the beautiful opal veneer of his eyes. Managed to see through the capturing gaze to something so effectively hidden that she knew she would never see it again. But she would never have to. What she saw struck such horrible fear into her that she could barely breathe._

_Cold, heartless nothing. Cruel, calculating abyss. He was superior and empty to the core, with everything vicious and terrible in the world hidden in wait beneath the mask of overwhelming charisma. He was a black hole. Beautiful, thrilling, and full of death._

_It was gone in a flash, replaced with such overt concern that she thought perhaps she had lapsed into some horrible vision of Voldemort and the man in front of her was the same wonderful being she had kissed. But as she listened to him ask her if she was okay, she could not help the shiver that fell through her. Her body still craved him, but her mind…her soul knew something was very wrong._

_"I'm fine," she whispered. "I just…I-"_

_He smiled, shaking his head. "It's alright. I understand. Look, I'll owl you. We'll make plans for the weekend. Something discreet. The media can be dreadful about this sort of thing, hm?"_

_He pecked her cheek and then walked out. She ran a finger over her lips before getting up. She grabbed her things and hurried to the fireplace._

_Harry was in his office when she arrived at the Ministry and looked fairly surprised to see her._

_"I thought you were going to be gone the rest of the day."_

_She shook her head, glancing out into the mayhem of the Enforcement Department floor. "Can I ask you something?" she said after a while. He came to stand beside her, eyebrow raised._

_"Something happen?"_

_"No…yes. Craven kissed me."_

_"Yeah, I know-"_

_"No, not just at the match. That evening and…and just now in my office."_

_Harry shook his head, a smile there. "Good."_

_She looked at him sharply and he shrugged. "Sorry, Hermione, but I was never much for…well, for You-Know-Who."_

_"He's not Voldemort, Harry," she snapped irritably. She received quite a different response than what she anticipated. Instead of rolling his eyes, Harry paled and looked away from her as if he had remembered something awful. She frowned, turning to him fully. "Harry-"_

_"I think Craven would be good for you. You deserve someone normal."_

_"And M…and he isn't normal?"_

_"He's in hiding."_

_"For something you won't tell me about."_

_"Because it's-"_

_"Not my business." She pushed his shoulder so that he was looking at her. "Do not insult my intelligence, Harry Potter. I am tired of being treated like I will dissolve if I find out what he did. Why is it that you won't tell me?"_

_Harry seemed to be wondering that himself and, with a sigh, he pulled his wand out. The blinds shut and the room became incredibly quiet. He gestured her into a seat._

_"I'll tell you, okay. But…nobody's proud of it. And he doesn't want you to know because, well…" He sighed again, rubbing his face. "It was back after we left Hogwarts during the war."_

* * *

><p>"Mummy."<p>

"Hm…Claire?" Hermione turned around in the rocker to see Claire peeking into the library. She was dressed in a green nightgown with silver lace, something Hermione had managed to slip past Craven's radar. The girl's gold locks were braided for the evening, catching the candlelight and reflecting a sharp blonde in some areas. She trundled over, dragging a stuffed lion by the tail. Hermione fixed her clothes before Claire could see her, but there was nothing to be done about her smarting cheek and bruised neck. After getting up in her mother's lap, Claire took a good look at Hermione.

"Are you hurting, Mummy?"

Hermione forced a smile and shook her head. "It's not so bad," she whispered, smoothing out the nightdress. "You should be in bed. Lilith will be looking for you."

"Did he do it?"

Her shoulders sagged at the inquiring doe eyes. Lying would be pointless because the little girl just seemed to know instinctively when her mother had been used.

"No," she finally answered. "It wasn't him."

Claire's small hands came up to cup her mother's face. "Daddy's gonna come soon."

A frightening sob shuddered through Hermione and she clutched Claire close, unable to stop the flood of tears that broke through. It had been so long since those words had been uttered by either of them and it filled her with so much love that it hurt.

"What did she say?"

Hermione felt Claire stiffen and they both turned to see Craven materialize from the dark foyer. There were a few candles about the library, casting horrible shadows across his handsomely cruel face.

"What did she say?" he repeated and Hermione stood, maneuvering Claire behind her.

"Nothing."

Those coal eyes dropped to the girl, who cringed and tried to hide behind her mother's trembling legs.

"What did you say, you little witch?"

"Please, Craven," Hermione whispered, backing up a little when Craven took a step towards them. "Just let it go."

"Tell me what she said."

"She didn't mean it."

"Really? I wonder where she learned it from."

Pale already from her encounter with Edward, Hermione knew she did not have enough strength for the rage that was building in Craven. But the tiny hands that clung to her legs let her know that there was no choice. She would have to find it or Claire would get hurt. And that was not something she would let happen.

"Just let her go to bed. You can punish me-"

"Punish you?" He laughed. "For what? She's the one telling you lies and filling you with false hope."

"Craven, please-" They had backed into a bookcase and Claire was whimpering now. "Please, just let-"

Like before, he had her by the throat and pressed against a wall. He started pushing upwards, bringing her feet off the ground.

"Let her go!" Claire cried, pounding her fists against Craven's legs. "Stop hurting Mummy! Stop-"

"Claire!"

Hermione's whole body received a shock at the sight of Craven backhanding the little girl. She struggled futilely, barely able to see now that tears filled her eyes. Claire managed to get to her feet, shaking but still conscious enough to cry as Craven started dragging Hermione up to the room.

"Go to your room, Claire!" Hermione managed to scream. "Go to your room!"

Claire ambled to her bedroom in a bit of a daze. Crawling into bed, she held her hands over her ears and screamed to drown out the rest of the noises.

* * *

><p>Ron glanced at Harry. "You're quiet."<p>

Harry shrugged. "You…did something seem odd to you?"

"About what?"

"About…I don't know. Something just felt odd."

Ron rolled his eyes. "Maybe when you barged in on me-"

"You're not going to let this go, are you?"

"If I get to shag my wife again in the next two years, it will be a miracle."

"It can't honestly be that bad."

"You have no idea, Harry. When you first get married, it's like all you have time for is shagging each other." Ron grunted. "Then, suddenly she's all, 'I have Quidditch practices', and then you say, 'I have to work late,' and the next thing you know, nobody remembers what the hell sex is."

"That's comforting."

"I'm just telling you the truth, mate. I haven't had a decent run with Ady in…I swear, I will kill you."

Harry smiled at Ron's disheartened expression. "Well, cheer up. If we finish this case, you'll get a couple weeks off and you'll be able to do whatever you want with Ady."

"Assuming she's still in the mood. That woman turns on and off like a bloody volcano. Don't know when she'll go off and if she does, she's done in like ten minutes and won't come out again forever."

They reached their destination, a lovely little parchment shop on Diagon Alley. The street was empty at this time of the night save a few late night shoppers and some goblins which were leaving Gringotts. The lights were on in the parchment shop, though, so Ron knocked. A few moments later the door opened to reveal Luna.

"Ron, Harry," she said with her thoughtful smile. "How good of you to come for tea! It is a perfect hour, isn't it?"

Ron snorted while Harry just nodded. "Um, is Parkinson-"

"Of course I'm here, Potter," came a cool voice from within. "It is my shop, isn't it?"

Harry's lip curled in derision. Laughing, Ron followed Luna in, Harry trailing behind. Luna led them to a cozy area to the side of the shop where tea had been set out. Sitting in a wing-backed chair near a roaring fire sat an older Pansy. She had grown out of her 'pug-face' to become quite pretty, though the smug look on her face did nothing for her fairly unchanged personality.

"Lord, Potter," she muttered as Luna had them sit in seats opposite them. "You look a god-awful mess. You seen your little piece of Weasley lately?"

His cheeks went red and he scowled at her. "We didn't come down here to talk about personal business, Parkinson."

She pouted in mock-disappointment before turning her dark eyes on Ron. A smirk came.

"I can't say the same about you. Did you just get off before you got here?" She shook a disapproving finger at him. "Tsk, tsk, Weasley. I thought knocking boots on Ministry property was a big no-no."

How Pansy seemed to always know what other people were up to was a mystery, but it was nevertheless embarrassing. Ron slouched into his chair, half-heartedly accepting a cup of tea from Luna, who did not seem to be listening to Pansy's invasive remarks in the slightest.

"You both look very well," she commented after handing Harry his cup. "I saw Ginny yesterday, Harry. She says you've been very busy with your case."

"Yeah, well…" Harry cast Pansy a dark look before gesturing to Ron. "We've got something we want you to look at."

Pansy's eyebrow rose. "Oh? Really, I didn't think I would see you much, Potter. I thought we were on…what was it that you called it? Non-speaking terms?"

"I think I said I'd rather get ripped apart by a hippogriff."

"Ah, yes." She smiled brightly. "That was it. How silly of me to forget. How's that coming along? Lots of hippogriffs lined up to do the job?"

"Focus, Parkinson," Ron grumbled, pulling out the papers and handing them to her. "We need you to fix this."

"Weasley, you interrupt me again and I'll have your dick mounted on my wall." She turned to him with a smile. "How will your precious wife screw you in your office then?"

Face flush, Ron got up. "You have problems."

"But I get laid on the regular," she shot back. "What about you?"

"Oh, Pansy, look at these." Luna had taken the papers out and had them spread on the table. "How curious, hm?"

Pansy glanced down at the papers. "Gringotts, Potter? Any excuse you can to come visit me."

"I wanted to get bludgeoned by trolls. Ron's assured me this is more painful."

"How quaint. I hope you add that to your long list of things to do when avoiding Pansy."

"It's getting there."

"Wow, I thought listening to banshees was awful."

They all turned to see Blaise walk in. Luna jumped up, greeting him warmly before conjuring a chair for him. He sat beside her, fixing Ron and Harry with curious looks.

"What are you two doing here?"

"Trying to do work but getting nothing done thanks to Parkinson," Ron grumbled. Blaise smiled, turning to Pansy.

"It's been a while."

She nodded. "I've been busy, but I heard about your trial-"

"Focus!" Harry snapped, pointing to the papers. "I have a murder case and your bullshit is just not going to do."

They stared at each other for a moment before Pansy let her eyes fall on the parchment. She picked it up, holding it to the light.

"When did you get this?"

"Couple hours ago."

She snorted, setting it down and pulling her wand out. "You really didn't want to come see me, did you? Had you come earlier, I might have been able to help you." She glanced up at him with a wry smile. "And Luna and Weasley wouldn't have had to come with you."

Face red, he stood abruptly and left the shop. Ron sighed, rubbing his face.

"Parkinson, if he comes back in here with half a mind to kill you, I won't stop him."

"If he is going to behave immaturely," she muttered, waving her wand over the papers. She said several incantations and more ink appeared. "That's all I can save. Some of it has shifted, though. Looks like whoever did this really didn't want you to…what?"

The ink on the papers shifted and then everyone shot away from the table as the papers burst into flames. Harry came back in at the noise, eyes wide.

"What the hell did you do, Parkinson!" he snapped. She glared at him.

"I was going to ask you the same damn question, Potter." She pointed to the smoldering mess that used to be the financial statements. "That shit was cursed. You should have told me-"

"Curse?" Ron shook his head. "No, that's not right. Goblins wouldn't have cursed it."

"I never said the goblins did it." Pansy straightened up, pocketing her wand. "That curse is recent. Less than an hour old. Why would you curse it?"

"I put a protective spell on it to keep people from sneaking peeks at it," Harry shot back. "I didn't curse it!"

"Well, someone did. As soon as I revived the ink the goblins had tried to destroy, I saw it. Someone cursed it to make sure you couldn't read those papers."

Swearing, Ron looked down at the table. "Now what?" he muttered. Harry sighed.

"I don't know. But we must be on the right track if someone's trying to stop us."


	9. Chapter 9

_"You had gone into London to look after your parents. Ron and I were getting ready to leave Grimauld when an owl arrived. It was from him. He was hiding out in the mountains and he…he wanted to help. Had information that would be useful to the Order. Nobody trusted it but…They wouldn't let me go alone, so we set up a meet outside the city. He showed up and it turned out the information he had was good. That's how we found the next couple Horcruxes."_

_Hermione shook her head. "Why didn't you tell me?"_

_"You…well, because I had planned on killing him."_

_Her eyes widened. "What?"_

_He sighed, rubbing his face. "You need to realize, I was still coming off of Dumbledore, Hermione. And no matter how much you tried to convince me he hadn't done it willingly, it didn't register. I wanted him dead, end of story. The fact that he proved useful made that inconvenient but…I didn't want to tell you in case it turned out I would have to cut ties." He glanced at her before sighing. "Anyway, he kept sending the Order information while we were still searching. They managed to break up some Death Eater camps, but…something was always off. Nobody noticed it until later. The camps he was sending them to were starting to form a pattern. He wasn't just sending locations of random camps. We kept missing someone or something important with every camp. He was targeting something. Then, right before we returned to Hogwarts, a last letter came with one more camp. Arthur told me later that it was a slaughter. Both sides got hit hard. When they looked through the wreckage, he showed up. Arthur said he had never seen someone become so ill so quickly. Started raging at the Order members at the same time as he was getting sick all over the place. But…"_

_Harry went over to a cabinet and, unlocking it, he pulled out a stack of envelopes. "This was what he was looking for."_

_He handed it to Hermione. She instantly recognized them with some shock. They were the letters she and Draco had exchanged during that sixth year of Hogwarts._

_"I don't…why?"_

_"His father took them about a week before he contacted us. He was convinced they were using them to get to us. He was trying to find them using us and it turns out he was right. You two talked too much. They were hurting us using what you told him."_

_As she paled, he returned to her side. "It…What he did got a lot of good people killed, but it also saved a lot of lives. Turns out that same camp was set to go after your entire extended family, as well as several other families of Muggles and Muggleborns. We decided that it would be better if as little people found out about it as possible, especially you."_

_Hermione felt violently ill. She remembered that battle. She remembered how many people did not return from it._

_"I…why is he being hunted then?"_

_Here, Harry paled. "The new Wizengemot caught wind of it. Kingsley tried to get the whole thing stricken, but the Wizengemot…they wouldn't let it go. All they saw was one boy using an entire system for his own personal issues. Also, the rest of the Ministry started finding out that someone leaked information to Voldemort's army that led to so many people getting killed. They needed someone to pin the whole mess on and so they decided he was going to be crucified for it."_

_She shook her head, mind spinning. Getting up, she gathered her things. Harry stopped her before she got to the door._

_"Where are you going?"_

_"Where do you think-"_

_"You can't tell him I told you-"_

_She slapped his hand away, glaring. "You had no right," she whispered. "You had no right not to tell me that! I was just as involved, but you hid that from me!"_

_"Nobody wanted it getting out! The Ministry was still in chaos, London still a frenzy! You had your parents to worry about, and besides! You and Ron were still on, so it-"_

_"NO!"_

_She shoved her finger into his chest. "Harry Potter, you lied to me! I…I had a right to know!"_

_His stomach dropped at the sight of tears in her eyes. "Hermione-"_

_Shaking her head, she went to the door. "Don't talk to me. Ever again, Harry. Don't come near me."_

_"Hermione!"_

_She disappeared before he could catch her. Swearing, he scribbled a quick note to be sent to Ron and then left his office. He had a good idea of where she was headed._

* * *

><p>The news channel played back the events of the day but the volume was so low that all Hermione could hear was a low drone. The room was dark save for the flashes from the television. Outside the bedroom, she could hear someone talking but again everything seemed dimmed. Her own heart was beating so softly she wondered if it was still ticking. Body throbbing in a familiar but unwanted pain, she could only lie there on the bed, staring through half-closed eyes at the television.<p>

Claire's screams returned to her in a jarring manner, reinforcing the pain she already felt. It was rare that Craven actually struck Claire. He usually threatened her or Hermione, but last night had been different. Claire had uttered something so completely prohibited that even Hermione would never say.

"Daddy's gonna come soon."

Heart constricting, Hermione closed her eyes. Craven tolerated her defiance with a sick pleasure and Claire's with the irritability one gets when swatting a fly. But one thing that would send him into a controlled rage was any mention of Claire's father. It was not to be spoken of because, to the rest of the world, it never occurred. Claire was Craven's daughter. Hermione was Craven's wife. There had been no other and even within the confines of the estate it was to remain that way. For Claire to dare step out of line had tested Craven's nerves.

A flood of pain crushed the air out of her lungs, leaving her gasping. It had been so long since she had allowed herself to even think about Draco, but lately he had been returning to mind. She knew Harry and Ron were still in contact with him, using him as an informant for the Enforcement Department. But they kept decidedly mute on the subject, using vague phrases to describe his state and giving little else to satisfy the desperate thirst she had to know what had become of him. The last time they had laid eyes on each other…

The door swung open. "So, you're awake?"

She did not even bother hiding her distress as Craven came around the bed to look at her. His lip curled.

"What a sight. The brightest, most stunning witch of the age pining over Britain's most wanted."

"Shut up," she whispered. He snatched her arm, pulling her roughly to her knees.

"Which one are you thinking about?" he inquired, eyes flashing dangerously in the darkness. "Your first night with him, hm?"

"Shut your mouth!"

"Thinking about how long he fucked you-"

She tackled him to the ground, pain forgotten. He easily overpowered her though, laughing at her blind rage.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" he whispered as she screamed beneath him. "Maybe I'll go get that bitch you call a daughter-"

"Stay away from her!"

"Then _behave_," he growled before getting off her. He straightened his clothes, watching her as she painstakingly got to her feet. "I seem to have broken you. How odd. I'm usually more careful."

Responding would only get her into more trouble, so she made for the bathroom. He followed, still fixing his tie.

"It must be such a burden, dealing with that selfish desire of yours," he said as she leaned against the counter, splashing her face with water. "Trying to contain yourself from that urge. That utter desire to have at it with me."

"You're sick."

"Oh, don't deny it. I see it in your eyes. More and more, you've become accustomed to me. It hurts, but giving in would just be easy, wouldn't it? You never like making things easy for people, even when they're trying to protect you."

She turned to him, eyes narrowed. "Protect me? Is that what you're doing?"

His expression softened and his eyes became rippling pools of truth and honor. "Of course. Protecting you from that dangerous little psychopath living inside you. That one keeping your basic instincts down. The one making you think I'm the enemy in all of this. I'm not. I mean, perhaps the occasional forceful thrust to keep you in line. But it's all for your good, my love."

He had that look on his face that would make anyone believe him. She even believed that he was serious and that she had been completely wrong, such was his overwhelming charisma and ability. But she remembered where she stood and why she was standing there, and the enthralled hope twisted into bitter hatred.

"Do you honestly believe any of that?" she whispered. The scheme fell from his face with one wickedly smart grin.

"Forceful thrust? A good fuck, more like it." He turned to the mirror. "But it's a good appeal, isn't it? I could convince Potter to make sweet love to Voldemort if I put on one of these faces, hm? Wouldn't that be a god-awful sight?" His laugh echoed through the bathroom like shattered glass, making her cringe. It was not a public laugh and even in private he did not do it often. Only one other time had she heard it and that had been so long ago.

"Are you going to tell me what you're doing?"

"I am creating myself, Hermione." His eyes flashed. "I am…going to exceed my predecessor. I am going to do what nobody has been able to do…" Here, a grin of madness and genius interrupted him. "And nobody is going to be able to stop me."

"Isn't it funny how everyone in the history of history thinks that?"

He had her by the throat and smashed against the mirror before she could breathe. His lips brushed her cheek, half-smiling, half-murderous.

"Send one man, I will remain unscathed. Send an army, I will remain unscathed. Send the world, I will…I will destroy _everything_." He kissed her full on the mouth before dropping her unceremoniously onto the floor. "And I will remain unscathed." The smile dropped fully as his gaze met hers. "Tell me, Hermione. Do you honestly believe any of that?"

Her heart trembled as it had the first time she had peered into the true nature of his eyes. Deceit was this man's game, but making truth was his finest work. And the world would bow to it.

* * *

><p>"I'm so sorry-"<p>

"Shut up!"

"I know, I know. But I feel like I should-"

"I said stop talking!"

"I went out and got you-Holy-" Ron couldn't even finish the exclamation. His mind had shut off and his only focus was the ride he was getting from his wife. She smiled at his facial expression and ground in harder.

"I told you not to speak," she said. He just mumbled incoherently.

"So, are you going to tell me what you've been up to?" she asked after they were done. When she got no answer, she turned to look at him. He was lying there on the bed, staring thoughtfully up at the ceiling. "Ronald?"

"Hm?" He frowned and looked at her. "Again?"

She flushed and hit him hard. "Don't talk to me like I'm some kind of sex deviant."

His eyebrow rose. "I don't know, Ady. That didn't seem very saintly-"

"I was asking whether you wanted to be hexed celibate for the next ten years," she snapped and his eyes widened.

"No, I heard you!" he said hastily, sitting up. "I was just thinking about that, too."

"Yeah, I'm sure."

"A man can think about sleeping with his wife and the problems he has at work at the same time. Sometimes they're related, you know."

"We're not going again, Ron."

He scowled. "You didn't have a problem-"

"I said no." The tone suggested if he asked again, it would be the last time for a very long time. Sighing, he lay back down again.

"We're being stonewalled."

"In the murder investigation? Why would the Ministry-"

"It's not just the Ministry. Someone else doesn't want us looking into these murders."

Ady frowned. "I thought you just said it was a regular murder."

"It was at first. But something's gone wrong. The two victims were in on something, which is why they were killed. We just can't figure out what it is. Our evidence keeps dead-ending."

"What does Harry think?"

"Harry's gone back to the office to look through some things, but…I don't know, something weird is going on."

Biting her lip, she leaned over to catch his eyes. "You're being careful, aren't you?"

He smiled at her concern and nodded. "It's me, Ady. I am always careful…when it counts," he added at her incredulous look. "When it counts!"

She rolled her eyes, but the concern was still there. "It sounds like you two are getting in on more than you bargained for. Maybe you should hand this over-"

"To who?" He grunted. "Harry and I are the only officers qualified for this. Besides, I'm not handing this case over to anyone. There's too many people involved for that, now. We want to keep this close to the vest. That means no talking about it outside here, Ady. Promise?"

She nodded. "You promise to stay safe, okay?" she whispered.

"Yeah? What do I get if I stay safe?"

"Forget it. I'm done, Ron."

"Ugh, why?"

"Because. I'm not in the mood anymore."

"Blasted, woman! Do you have specific windows that I need to be aware of so that I can plan accordingly?"

She snorted and got off the bed. "I'm not telling you."

"You're not going to tell me?"

"Why would I tell you what times of the day I get horny?"

His eyes widened. "There's more than one time?"

"Stop repeating what I say, Ron," she said over her shoulder as she went into the bathroom. "Gosh, I'm starving. Go get me something to eat, will you?"

He just gaped. When she noticed he still had not moved, she rolled her eyes. "I'll tell you one of the times if you can bring me a good plate of food in the next five minutes." She smiled when he disappeared instantly. "Poor bloke. I really should sleep with him more."


End file.
